Animal food and water bowl system

ABSTRACT

An animal food and water bowl system for effectively dispensing food and water to an animal such as a pet. The animal food and water bowl system generally includes a platform having a support member and at least one leg extending downwardly from the support member. The support member includes an upper surface and a recessed portion within the upper surface that removably receives a lower surface of bowl. A first connector is adapted for removably connecting the first bowl to the upper surface of the support member in a substantially non-movable manner. At least a portion of the front upper edge of the bowl is below the rear upper edge of the bowl.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/987,080 filed on Jan. 4, 2016 which issues as U.S. Pat. No.10,674,702 on Jun. 9, 2020, which claims priority to the following U.S.provisional patent applications: U.S. Ser. No. 62/100,058 filed Jan. 5,2015, U.S. Ser. No. 62/108,154 filed Jan. 27, 2015, U.S. Ser. No.62/108,160 filed Jan. 27, 2015, U.S. Ser. No. 62/109,188 filed Jan. 29,2015, U.S. Ser. No. 62/190,805 filed Jul. 10, 2015, U.S. Ser. No.62/191,587 filed Jul. 13, 2015, U.S. Ser. No. 62/192,137 filed Jul. 14,2015, U.S. Ser. No. 62/199,761 filed Jul. 31, 2015, U.S. Ser. No.62/243,389 filed Oct. 19, 2015, and U.S. Ser. No. 62/254,223 filed Nov.12, 2015. Each of the aforementioned patent applications, and anyapplications related thereto, is herein incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND Field

Example embodiments in general relate to an animal health monitoring,diagnosis and maintenance system for automated nutrition and hydrationdata collection, food and water consumption tracking, reporting, and topet food production, distribution and supply chain management tomaximize the health of animals.

Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should inno way be considered as an admission that such related art is widelyknown or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

It is well known that pet animals, such as pet dogs and cats, shouldconsume appropriate amounts of food and water each day as a means ofimproving or maintaining proper health and weight throughout theirlives. Poor pet nutrition management increases long term health carecosts for pet owners, and shortens the pets' lives considerably whencompared to the pets' healthy peers.

Literature teaches that improper pet nourishment and hydration arelargely attributable to pet owner ignorance because there exists nosimple and reliable system or method of precisely calculating thecorrect daily calories and water that should be, or in fact are consumedby each unique animal.

Another problem in the pet food industry is the high frequency,liability exposure and expense of food recalls by manufacturers due tothe discovery of food contaminants harmful or potentially fatal to thepets. Today, pet food passes through many links in the supply chain, andthe time it takes to move the food from producer to consumer can be manymonths resulting in broad geographic distribution of pet food, andleaving food producers and pets vulnerable to poor and untimely supplychain management.

Yet another problem is the ergonomically incorrect design andpositioning of cat and dog food and water bowls for the most comfortableand natural eating. Additionally, poor design contributes to poorsanitation and the transfer of potentially harmful pathogens orcontaminates between the food and water bowls to the owner's hands, orthe transfer of contaminates form the owners' hands to the pet food orwater.

SUMMARY

An example embodiment of the present invention is directed to food orwater bowl system for an animal including a platform having a supportmember and at least one leg extending downwardly from the supportmember. The support member includes an upper surface and a recessedportion within the upper surface that removably receives a lower surfaceof bowl. A first connector is adapted for removably connecting the firstbowl to the upper surface of the support member in a substantiallynon-movable manner. At least a portion of the front upper edge of thebowl is below the rear upper edge of the bowl.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features ofthe animal health monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance system in orderthat the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and inorder that the present contribution to the art may be betterappreciated. There are additional features of the animal healthmonitoring, diagnosis and maintenance system that will be describedhereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appendedhereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment ofthe animal health monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance system indetail, it is to be understood that the animal health monitoring,diagnosis and maintenance system is not limited in its application tothe details of construction or to the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theanimal health monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance system is capable ofother embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in variousways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not beregarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments will become more fully understood from the detaileddescription given herein below and the accompanying drawings, whereinlike elements are represented by like reference characters, which aregiven by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of theexample embodiments herein.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a food portion management systemcomprising a communication network and measuring feeding container.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a food portion management systemcomprising a communication network and measuring scale.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a representative digitalcommunication network for a food portion management system.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food portion managementsystem comprising a “dumb” feeding bowl on a local area network (LAN).

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food portion managementsystem comprising a “dumb” feeding bowl on a wide area network (WAN).

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food portion managementsystem comprising a “smart” feeding bowl on a local area network (LAN).

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing a food portion management systemand method.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing the representative example of adatabase table containing a plurality of discrete animal food types.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram showing a representative example of adatabase table containing a plurality of individual companion animals.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a plurality of animal andenvironmental conditions, changes in which drive changes in daily foodenergy portioning.

FIG. 11 a is an exemplary diagram illustrating four stages of life fordomesticated dogs and cats.

FIG. 11 b is an exemplary diagram illustrating the differences inestimated life spans for certain breeds of dogs.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary diagram showing a portion of an animal energyrequirements chart, in particular illustrating the variable energyrequirements of an animal based on changing conditions throughout theanimal's life.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the energy contentcontained in one gram of food for various brands of dog food.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a graph correlating weight,age, and variable energy requirements for a Cocker Spaniel from birth todeath, as being representative of ever-changing, condition-based energyrequirements of all dogs and cats.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary diagram showing Body Condition Scores (BCS) fordomesticated dogs and cats, and a food energy portion modificationmethod to achieve the healthiest condition.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary diagram showing weight fluctuations relative tounchanged food energy portions, and correlating to reduced foodportions.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary diagram of a flow chart showing a plurality ofchange-in-condition inputs that can trigger an animal's daily foodenergy portion modification.

FIG. 18 is an exemplary diagram of a flow chart showing one process ofmodifying daily nutrition (energy and fluid) in response to changingenvironmental conditions.

FIG. 19 is an exemplary diagram of a flow chart illustrating one methodof self-correcting daily energy requirements of an animal based ondietary trends.

FIG. 20 is an exemplary diagram illustrating sensors and transmitters tocommunicate water consumption related data to a wireless device.

FIG. 21 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a plurality of animals towhich sensors and transmitters are affixed, the sensors in communicationwith a wireless device and network.

FIG. 22A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a variation of a networkupon which a plurality of different species of animals are equipped withsensors and transmitters in wireless communication with a network.

FIG. 22B is an exemplary diagram illustrating one variation of a displayof water consumption information on a wireless device.

FIG. 23 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofmonitoring water consumption from unmetered water sources.

FIG. 24 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofevaluating, analyzing, and reporting on cumulative daily and long-termwater consumption of a domesticated animal.

FIG. 25 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofpredicting daily water consumption needs of an animal.

FIG. 26 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofcommunicating animal water consumption to an animal owner through awireless network.

FIG. 27 is an exemplary diagram illustrating representative data setsfrom sensing collars while different animals are scratching.

FIG. 28 is an exemplary diagram illustrating representative data setsfrom sensing collars while different animals are walking.

FIG. 29 is an exemplary diagram illustrating representative data setsfrom a sensing collar and a metered water bowl while a pet is drinkingfrom the bowl.

FIG. 30 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the process of training thesystem to recognize a pet's drinking signature.

FIG. 31A is an exemplary diagram illustrating the side view of a caninebust highlighting selected anatomical features.

FIG. 31B is an exemplary diagram illustrating the underside of a caninehead and neck.

FIG. 32 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an improved pet collar.

FIG. 33 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a traditional pet collar3300.

FIG. 34A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of atraditional collar 4300 without a leash attached.

FIG. 34B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of atraditional collar with a leash attached.

FIG. 35A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of a centerpull collar with adjusted to the largest diameter.

FIG. 35B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of a centerpull collar with adjusted to a median diameter.

FIG. 35C is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of a centerpull collar with adjusted to the smallest diameter.

FIG. 36 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded isometric viewof an improved collar assembly.

FIG. 37 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a front view of an improvedcollar assembly.

FIG. 38 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a back view of an improvedcollar assembly.

FIG. 39 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a side view of an improvedcollar assembly.

FIG. 40 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an isometric view of alatched collar fastening device.

FIG. 41 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

FIG. 42 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

FIG. 43 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

FIG. 44 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

FIG. 45 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of one half ofan improved collar with integrated electronics.

FIG. 46 is an exemplary diagram illustrating top view of a collar endswith measuring indicia.

FIG. 47A is an exemplary diagram illustrating cutting of opposed ends ofa collar at a preferred indicia.

FIG. 47B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view through acut end of a first collar length and a termination device.

FIG. 47C is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view through acut end of a second collar length and a termination device.

FIG. 47D is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view throughtwo collar ends retained in a termination device.

FIG. 47E is an exemplary diagram illustrating a centered collartermination device.

FIG. 48A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of an alternatecenter pull D-ring, collar ends with indicia and a termination means.

FIG. 48B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top and side view of analternate center pull D-ring and collar ends termination means.

FIG. 49 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a side view of a collartermination device with a D-ring retaining means.

FIG. 50 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of acollar termination device with a D-ring retaining means and cam leverlocking means.

FIG. 51 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of analternate center pull D-ring and cam lever locking means.

FIG. 52 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top and side view of analternate center pull D-ring.

FIG. 53 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the method of sizing andinstalling a pet collar.

FIG. 54 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a front view of a collarlatching means with a pet identification tag retaining ring.

FIG. 55A is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of onevariation of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 55B is an exemplary diagram showing a top view of one variation ofan improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 55C is an exemplary diagram showing a front view of one variationof an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 55D is an exemplary diagram showing a right side view of onevariation of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 56A is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of amedium-size bowls variation of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 56B is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of alarge-size bowls variation of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 56C is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of asmall-size bowls variation of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 56D is an exemplary diagram showing a side view of different sizeddogs and correspondingly the preferred bowl sizes interchangeablyattachable to the base of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 57 is an exemplary diagram showing perspective views ofmedium-sizes and large sized bowls affixed to a variation of a base ofan improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 58 is an exemplary diagram showing perspective views ofmedium-sizes and large sized bowls affixed to a second variation of abase of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 59 is an exemplary diagram showing perspective views ofmedium-sizes and large sized bowls affixed to a variation of asingle-bowl base of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 60 is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of onevariation of the bowl and base assembly of an improved pet feedingstation.

FIG. 61A is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of onevariation of the bowl and base assembly and method of removablyattaching a bowl to the base of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 61B is an exemplary diagram showing a sectional view through a bowland base assembly of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 61C is an exemplary diagram showing a sectional view through a bowlbeing removed from the base assembly of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 62A is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of anothervariation of the bowl and base assembly and method of removablyattaching a bowl to the base of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 62B is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of anothervariation of the base assembly of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 62C is an exemplary diagram showing a section view through the bowland base attachment means of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 63 is an exemplary diagram showing a section view of one variationof a bowl to base attachment means of an improved pet feeding station.

FIG. 64 is an exemplary diagram showing a section view of anothervariation of a bowl to base attachment means of an improved pet feedingstation.

FIG. 65 a is an exemplary diagram illustrating the skeletal structure ofa domesticated animal with a traditional food bowl.

FIG. 65 b is an exemplary diagram illustrating the skeletal structure ofa domesticated animal with an improved food bowl.

FIG. 66 a is an exemplary diagram illustrating the size of dry kibblefood relative to coin sizes.

FIG. 66 b is an exemplary diagram illustrating the size of dry kibblefood relative to other kibble sizes.

FIG. 66 c is an exemplary diagram illustrating the two variations ofcanned dog food.

FIG. 67 is an exemplary diagram illustrating three views of an improvedfood bowl.

FIG. 68 is an exemplary diagram illustrating three views of an improvedround food bowl with a food obstacle.

FIG. 69 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a variation of an improvedfood bowl.

FIG. 70 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an isometric view of animproved rectilinear food bowl with an insert comprising food obstacles.

FIG. 71 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view through atypical insert with integral obstacles.

FIG. 72 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one variation of animproved food or water bowl.

FIG. 73A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl with a convexprotrusion on the interior of the wall surface.

FIG. 73B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand placement on a foodbowl with a convex protrusion on the interior of the wall surface.

FIG. 74A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl with convex and concaveportions of the wall surface that facilitate handling of the bowl withone hand.

FIG. 74B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand placement on a foodbowl with convex and concave portions of the back wall structure.

FIG. 75A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl with a convexprotrusion on the exterior of the wall surface.

FIG. 75B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand placement on a foodbowl with a convex protrusion on the exterior of the wall surface.

FIG. 76 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a representative handremoving an improved water or food bowl from a purpose-designed elevatedfood or water bowl stand.

FIG. 77A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl, above the water line,with a high friction material applied to the inner surface of a bowlwall.

FIG. 77B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand placement on a foodbowl with a high friction material applied to the inner surface.

FIG. 78 is an exemplary diagram showing a traditional food distributionchannel, and an improved distribution channel.

FIG. 79 is an exemplary diagram showing the operational flow chart of animproved sales and distribution channel.

FIG. 80 is an exemplary diagram showing an interactive system for petfood subscription purchases and automated correction of the amount offood shipped during each subscription delivery interval.

FIG. 81 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart for a systemof determining multiple food products for a subscription for recurringpet food purchasing and delivery.

FIG. 82 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a decentralized productionsystem.

FIG. 83 is an exemplary diagram illustrating database of registeredpets, and the analysis of data corresponding to each pet owner.

FIG. 84 is an exemplary diagram showing a system and method of trackingfood production lots from packaging through pet consumption.

FIG. 85 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a pet-monitoring network.

FIG. 86 is an exemplary diagram illustrating food consumption history ofone representative pet within a population of pets on a pet-monitoringnetwork.

FIG. 87 is an exemplary diagram illustrating multiple pets and multiplefood types of differing moisture content on a pet-monitoring network.

FIG. 88 is an exemplary diagram illustrating multiple pets and multiplefood types on a pet-monitoring network.

FIG. 89 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a block diagram of a petmonitoring network.

FIG. 90 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a population of pets apet-monitoring network.

FIG. 91 is an exemplary diagram illustrating pet food consumption trendsfor a pet upon a pet-monitoring network.

FIG. 92 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturingplanning analysis extracted from food consumption data recorded from apet-monitoring network.

FIG. 93 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturercompetitive analysis extracted from food consumption data recorded froma pet-monitoring network.

FIG. 94 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturercompetitive analysis extracted from breed-specific food consumption datarecorded from a subgroup of pets on a pet-monitoring network.

FIG. 95 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturercompetitive analysis extracted from breed-specific food consumption datarecorded from a senior-aged subgroup of pets on a pet-monitoringnetwork.

FIG. 96 is an exemplary diagram comparing the palatability testingfeatures and capabilities of the present invention to the features andcapabilities of all palatability test methods in standardized use in thepet food industry.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of specific embodiments are disclosed in the followingdescription and related drawings. Alternate embodiments may be devisedwithout departing from the spirit or the scope of the presentdisclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodimentswill not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscurerelevant details. Further, to facilitate an understanding of thedescription, a discussion of several terms used herein follows.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments” isnot exhaustive and does not require that all embodiments include thediscussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

The term “pet” as used herein shall include any and all types of animalsincluding, but not limited to, non-domesticated animals, domesticatedanimals, non-domesticated mammals and/or domesticated mammals (e.g.canine, feline, bovine or equine species, male or female).

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a food portion management systemcomprising a communication network and measuring food bowl. Morespecifically, a food bowl 101 provides for measuring the weight of dryor wet food material by use of an integral scale. Within a network, thefood bowl is in wired or wireless communication 102 with at least asmartphone 100, a wireless device or computer 103, one or more of whichmay be in communication with servers or databases within the network.

In one instance, a software application installed upon the “Cloud” 104,computer 103 or other wireless device on the network provides for aspecified weight of food to be communicated to the food bowl. A foodbowl containing a scale and an electronic circuit retains the instantdesired weight in a memory, and measures the weight of food entered intothe bowl in real time. At such time as the desired weight equals theinstant weight, the bowl provides a means not shown to notify the personfilling the bowl that the desired weight has been achieved.

In another instance, a food bowl containing a scale and an electroniccircuit provides for measuring the weight of food entered into the bowl,and in real time communicating the measurement to a computer or otherwireless device on the network. The computer or device, having beenpreviously installed with software to compare a desired weight withactual weight of food entered into a bowl, provides for a means notshown to notify the owner that the desired measure of food has beenentered into the food bowl.

In yet another instance, a food bowl containing a scale and anelectronic circuit provides for measuring the weight of food enteredinto the bowl, and in real time communicating the measurement to acomputer or other wireless device on the network that, in turncommunicates the measurement data to servers 104 upon a network. Theservers, having been previously installed with software to compare adesired weight with actual weight of food entered into a bowl, providesfor a means not shown to communicate back to the communicating computeror wireless device to notify the owner that the desired measure of foodhas been entered into the food bowl.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a food portion management systemcomprising a communication network and measuring scale. Morespecifically, a scale 201 provides for measuring the weight of dry orwet food material entered into a food bowl 200 in physical communicationwith the scale. Within a network, the scale is in wired or wirelesscommunication 102 with at least a smartphone 100, a wireless device orcomputer 103, one or more of which may be in communication with serversor databases 104 within the network, and operates in substantially thesame manner as the just described food bowl.

As one point of differentiation, the scale provides for zeroing the tareweight of the bowl prior to filling the bowl with food, thereby ensuringthat only the food weight is measured ensuring the food measurementprocess.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a representative digitalcommunication network for a food portion management system. Morespecifically, the diagram illustrates various configurations thatprovide for communication to or from a measuring food bowl 101 and acomputer program not shown that may be installed upon a computer 103,smartphone or other hand-held wireless device 100, or upon a cloud-basedserver 104, the software therefore providing for receiving weightmeasurement information from a food bowl 101, and comparing in real timethe weight against a desired weight of food for the specific animal aswould have been previously determined the computer program. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that various means not shown may beused to inform the animal owner when the actual food measurement equalsthe desired measurement, those means including audible alerts, visualalerts such as indicator lights upon the food bowl, or digital messagesthat may be delivered to a smartphone by text or SMS, or messagesdelivered by email to a computer or other client device capable ofreceiving email messages. The present invention is not meant to belimited to the method of informing the owner when the proper measure offood has been entered into the bowl, but is intended to provide themeans of owner notification so that the food portion actually deliveredto the animal supports the healthiest weight objectives.

Further, the diagram illustrates various means of communication betweena food bowl 101 and various devices within the facility where the animalmeal is prepared, namely a Bluetooth connection between a food bowl andsmartphone 100, a wireless WIFI connection between a bowl and networkrouter 301, a network connection between a food bowl and computer 103,or a connection to the cloud 104 via router 301 and cable modem 302, orBluetooth and cellular connection via smartphone 100, and cellularstation 303.

The configuration just described is not meant to be limiting, andindicated merely a few of the many possible communication structuresthat may connect a measuring food bowl to a software program providingfor the comparative analysis between the desired food measure for anyparticular animal, and the actual food being entered into a food bowlthat will be presented to that animal for consumption.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food portion managementsystem comprising a “dumb” feeding bowl on a local area network (LAN). Afood bowl 408 provides primarily for the outbound communication of themeasured weight of food being entered into the bowl. In the case where acontainer containing no electronics is used for delivering the food, anelectronic scale shall server the same function as the food bowl justdescribed.

It should be noted that each time a meal is prepared for an animal, thebowl will be presumed to be empty, and the weight of the contents in theempty bowl is resettable to “zero” prior to entering food for the nextmeal.

The food bowl is in wired or wireless communication with a foodmeasuring system and method 401.

In the drawing, a software program 400, sometimes referred to as a“mobile app” is installed upon a smartphone or wireless device notshown. After installing the program, the owner launches the program andpopulates the memory partition of the program with certaincharacteristics of their animal 402, for instance, if the animal is adog, notable characteristics may include current weight, target weight,age, whether the animal is neutered, and the level of typical dailyactivity. The program will use this information to compute the estimatednutritional requirements of the dog, usually expressed in kilocalories,or “kcal”.

Further, the owner will input the type of food 403 usually fed to thedog for which the characteristics were just entered. The food type mayinclude the food brand name, and product name, or alternatively, theenergy content of the food in kcal per serving measurement. If the ownerenters the food type by brand, the program will access a database ofknown brands snot shown, but incorporated into the program, to determinethe energy content per food measure as was previously installed in theprogram.

The program then uses the entered characteristics 402 and the food type403 to compute the estimated daily energy requirements that must bereplaced by food consumption in order to maintain a healthy weight.Those skilled in the art will recognize this as a Metabolic EnergyRequirement, or “MER”, typically expressed in kcal.

A computational engine 405 correlates the estimated daily MER of theanimal (in kcal), with the kcal contained in the selected type of food,thereby establishing the appropriate amount of the selected type of foodthat will deliver to the animal the full MER.

As an example of the foregoing description, a dog owner may enter thathis dog is a neutered 5-year old (adult), 30 pounds in weight, with a 25pound target weight, the animal being mildly active as typical of ahouse pet with 30 minutes or so of daily play activity.

With a targeted weight of 25 pounds, activity being unchanged, theprogram will retrieve from an energy database not shown, but having beenpreviously loaded into the computer program, a daily MER of 460 kcal.

Separately, and apart from the MER analysis for the owner's particulardog, the food type, having been selected from the previously describedfood database as being JAMS® ProActive Health™ Adult MiniChunks,indicates an energy content of 3,638 kcal/kg.

The computational engine 405 therefore computes the actual food measureof JAMS® ProActive Health MiniChunks by dividing the dog's 460 kcal MERrequirements by the JAMS® energy content of 3.638 kcal/gm, or a portionsize of 126.4 gm (or approximately 4.44 oz). Therefore, the dailyrecommended food volume of this type of food, for this unique dog isestimated at 126.4 gm.

Now then, the owner begins to fill the empty food bowl 408 with theselected type and brand of food. As the bowl scale senses an increase inpressure from the food, it communicates the measurement to the program405 wherein the engine 405 compares the actual food measurement againstthe desired 126.4 gm measurement as just described.

The program further provides for the engine to create one or more outputsignals to indicate at least when the actual measurement of food issubstantially the same as the desired measurement of 126.4 gm. Theprogram may further communicate a signal indicating that not enough foodhas been entered into the bowl, or that too much food has been enteredinto the bowl.

In all cases where the engine makes a comparison and determines a ratioof desired food amount to actual food amount, it may communicate theinformation to the owner so that the owner knows when to stop pouringfood into the bowl (or informs the owner that food should be removed iftoo much food was entered into the bowl).

The methods by which the present invention informs the owner may bevisual indicia in the form of a graphic illustration presented on thescreen of the wireless device or computer upon which the program isinstalled, or by an audible means, the sound being played over a speakeron the wireless device or computer.

If the indicia is presented only when the correct amount of food isentered into the bowl, as determined by the program 407, the indiciathen correlates to an instruction to feed the animal 410.

The benefit of the foregoing system and method just described is thatfor the first time, owners of domesticated animals have a precise methodof ensuring that they are feeding their animal an amount of food thatmore accurately corresponds to the animal's actual energy requirements,based on actual energy contained in the type of food that the owner isfeeding the animal.

This solves the problem of over or under-feeding the animal, a situationevidenced by pet obesity and overweight conditions that effect more than50 percent of the dogs and cats in the United States, and for the firsttime provides a higher level of precision in feeding protocol that usesweight-based kcal content of the food, rather than the broad andimprecise general feeding guidelines that rely on volume-based portionmanagement.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food portion managementsystem comprising a “dumb” feeding bowl 408 on a wide area network (WAN)500. In some instances, a more robust animal energy requirements andfood analysis may be desired. As previously described, the presentinvention provides for the MER of unique animals to be determined andused to compute the estimated daily weight of a portion of a specifiedfood. However, non-typical activities for dogs, such as going for a longhike with its owner, consume additional energy beyond the animal'stypical MER. In these instances, it is desirable to enter the additionalactivity level 409 into the animal's MER profile in order to adjust thefood amount upward.

In other instances, since the owner's dog characteristics and food typerequire a small data storage, it may be desired to reduce the largermemory requirements imposed on wireless devices or computers created byincluding large databases of all known food types or MERs by age, weightand other characteristics of a reasonably broad population of dogs ofall types and breeds. In these instances, it is preferred to include thecomprehensive food and MER databases representing all food types and alldog types on larger servers upon a network, and retrieving theappropriate small bits of data only when needed.

In the drawing, a cloud-based network 500 comprises at least onedatabase 504 containing characteristic profiles of two or more uniqueanimals, the characteristics including at least each animal's MER.

It should be noted that the MER for each animal is computed bymultiplying the Resting Energy Requirement by one of a number of factorsthat adjust an average RER to a more accurate MER estimation for ananimal taking into consideration its typical daily activity level, age,whether female lactating or neutered, and other factors well known tothose in the veterinary community.

A second database 505 is shown containing at least two food typestypically fed to domesticated dogs. Preferably, the food types comprisea list of all manufacturers' brands of different dry or moist food,bagged, boxed or canned, and further comprising the caloric content perspecific measure of food associated with that brand, the measurepreferably being in kcal/gm.

Now then, a first processor 503 within the network is programmed to atleast retrieve the food type and MER records for any particular animalfrom the appropriate databases, and using formulae previously described,compute the estimated mass of food corresponding to the animal's dailyME requirements. For later efficiency, the ME may be recorded in theanimal's profile for future look-up, rather than re-computing the ME foreach daily food preparation.

A second processor 502, the functions thereupon optionally performed onthe first processor in lieu of requiring a second processor, receivescommunication from a food bowl 408 specifically containing a measurementreading of the amount of food that an owner 501 pours into the foodbowl. Upon receiving the food measurement data, the processor comparesthe actual food measure with the computed estimated measure 503, andprovides real-time or near real-time feedback to the owner.

If an insufficient amount of food has been entered into the bowl, or iftoo much food has been entered into the bowl, the apparent under-feedingor over-feeding conditions will result in a message 506 alerting theowner to either add more food, or remove food. Healthy weight managementrequires that caloric intake should approximate daily energyexpenditure.

On the other hand, the moment that an amount approximating therecommended daily amount of food has been entered into the food bowl amessage 507 is provided to the owner to stop filling the fowl, and tonow feed the animal 508.

At the end of the feeding cycle, another measurement not shown may betaken by the food bowl and communicated to the network, the message 509being data recorded in the daily food log of the animal's individualprofile. It is important to note that if less than the entire amount offood was consumed, the actual food measure is compared to therecommended measure for future analysis. Chronic under-eating may signalthe onset of a medical condition, at which time, another database notshown, containing at least lookup tables correlating eating disorderswith underlying health reasons, informs the owner of the possible causesand remedies, or to seek veterinary care.

There are a number of advantages to hosting the databases and softwareapplications in a cloud-based network, particularly the benefit ofinfrastructure scalability to accommodate a virtually unlimited numberof pet profiles and pet owners engaging with the present invention, aswell as the benefits of being able to update food definitions, animalprofiles or algorithms based relatively on changes that a foodmanufacturer may make in the caloric content per measure of their foodbrands, changes in animal MERs based on ever-changing age, activitylevel or medical conditions and the like, and based on refinements incomputation of recommended food mass based on self-correcting, feedbackobtained from a plurality of pet owners engaging with the network basedon observed weight change results.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food portion managementsystem comprising a “smart” feeding bowl on a local area network (LAN).More specifically, it may be preferable for an owner to receiveimmediate feedback as to proper food amounts in the bowl while pouringfood into the bowl, without having to reference a computer, smartphoneor other device on the network. In such instances, a portion of thepresent system and method functionality is removed from the networkservers or devices to a smart food bowl 605.

In contrast to the previous descriptions relating to a food bowl thatmerely communicates measurement out to the network, the smart bowl ispreferably duplex, or at least a receiving device on the network whereinthe daily food measurement requirements are communicated to the foodbowl from a processor 601.

The software program, having been loaded onto a computer or wirelessdevice 600 comprises a database of food types 603 and associated energycontent per unit of measure and/or means allowing the owner to enterenergy per unit measure of a food type not contained in the database,and further provides for an owner to create an animal profile 602consisting of various animal physiological, environmental or activitylevel characteristics as previously described.

In the event that the animal has experienced a substantial increase ordecrease in daily activity compared to its typical daily activity, thesystem further provides for the owner to add an activity to the profile,the program further engaging a processor 604 to compute a new daily MERaccounting for the activity change.

Finally, the processor 601 having finalized the suggested daily measureof of the specified food type communicates the measurement data to thefood bowl where the data is stored at least until the food bowl isfilled to the recommended measurement.

Now then, by interfacing only with the smart food bowl, the owner 606begins filling the bowl. As the bowl is being filled, and the integratedscale measures the change in content within the bowl, the processor onthe food bowl not shown compares the actual measure with the storedmeasure recommendation previously received fro the processor 601. Atsuch time as the actual measure approximates the recommended measure,the program of the food bowl activates an alert informing the owner thatthe proper amount of food has been entered into the bowl, the alertbeing in the form of visual indicia, an audible sound, or digitalmessage or email delivered to a device on the local network. Uponreceiving the alert, the owner feeds the animal 608.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram showing a food portion management systemand method. More specifically, a wide area network is shown comprising acloud-based IT infrastructure 500 comprising a plurality of databases,servers and processors. In the drawing, the system and method providesfor a food database 603 scalable to provide for the storage of virtuallyany and all manufactured animal food by brand and type, includingassociated nutritional and caloric content, and specifically includingat least sufficient information to allow the processor to compute theenergy content in kcal per unit of measure, the preferred unit ofmeasure being grams.

It should be noted that the food database may also contain raw foodtypes not manufactured by animal food manufacturers. For instance, anowner may prefer feeding their animal a more primitive, non-manufactureddiet that may consist of raw hamburger intended generally for humanconsumption, beef bones, animal fat, or certain vegetables or grains.The database 603 is further intended to scale to include energy contentper unit of weight measure for non-manufactured foods.

The drawing further shows a database of animal profiles 602. Eachprofile of each animal comprises physiological, health, typical activitylevels and other attributes unique to the animal. The importance ofestablishing and maintaining individual profiles is to ensure that thedietary intake of any particular food or food type is not generalized asinstructed by animal food manufacturers, but tailored to the actualrequirements of each animal.

One or more servers 700, in response to a dietary information request byan animal owner, also referred to as a system “user”, or network“member”, retrieve at least the recommended daily ME of the user'sunique animal from the animal's profile, and further retrieves theenergy content of the user-specified food he/she will be feeding to theanimal 701.

In the event that the owner's animal has created additional activitydata during the day 706, the data being created by any number of variouspet activity tracking devices 707 commercially available to dog and catowners, the additional activity is converted into kcal expendedotherwise in excess of the typical energy expenditure of the animal, theadditional energy requirements being added to the retrieved ME for theanimal, and recomputed by the processor 701 to create a daily foodenergy computation more precisely correlating to the actual energyoutput of the animal.

Therefore, with the total ME having been established, the processorfinally computes the daily food portion 702 by mathematicallyconsidering the energy content of the food, and the energy requirementsof the animal, thereby establishing the unit of measure of food to enterinto the food bowl.

As previously described, the food bowl of the drawing 605 may be a smartbowl with integral processing and user alert capability providing forself-contained means of notifying an owner at the time the propermeasure of food is in the bowl, or a dumb bowl providing forcommunicating the measure to a separate wired or wireless device whereinthe processing of food measure in the bowl is compared to therecommended measure, the comparison occurring on a network deviceseparate from the food bowl.

It should be noted that those skilled in the art will recognize manycommunication structures that would result in food bowl measurements andfood measurement requirements being compared on a network. Therefore,the foregoing description is not meant to be limiting, but is providedmerely to illustrate some of the communication traffic and dataprocessing options that may be employed in the present invention.

Therefore, with the recommended food measurement known, an owner poursfood into a food bowl 605, the bowl being in communication with acomputer or wireless device 704 more precise by various means justdescribed, or being in communication with the cloud indirectly 709 via alocal device, the measurement change is communicated to a processor 703that compares the actual food measure with the recommended dailymeasure. Upon analysis, the processor communicates to the owner 705using a variety of means previously described, whether the amount isunder, over, or approximately equal to the recommended food portion tobe fed to the animal.

Veterinary professionals have long recognized that water consumption isequally as important as caloric consumption, and many would agree thatwater is a more important nutritional component than food. Therefore, itis equally important for an owner to understand how much water theiranimal is consuming on a daily basis.

A large body of works teaches us a variety of methods well known fordetermining the daily hydration requirements of domesticated animals.The hydration requirements, having been determined by means now shown,generally establish the clear water consumption requirements of ananimal.

On the other hand, various types of food deliver widely varying volumesof water per caloric unit of measure, For instance, canned food consistsof approximately 80 percent water, while dry kibble consists ofapproximately 8 percent water. Therefore, an animal being fed cannedfood will obtain a considerable percentage of daily water requirementsthrough the food.

Therefore, the present invention may provide for the food database 603to further list the percentage of moisture content for each food type.The processor, upon establishing the unit measure of food for the dailyportion of the specified food, further computes the total moisturecontent more precise 708 of the food in a unit of measure, preferablymilliliters, or “ml”. The number of ml of food-borne fluid may bereasonably subtracted from the total daily hydration requirement,thereby delivering a mathematical difference for the amount ofadditional clear water the animal should drink during the day.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram showing the representative example of adatabase table containing a plurality of discrete animal food types.

More specifically, a food record is created for each food type 800, thefood types including but not limited to each variation of foodsmanufactured food by each manufacturing brand, and raw foods typicallyfed to domesticated animals. It is preferable that all nutritionalcontent associated with each food type be included as a data field foreach record, the nutritional content including vitamins, minerals,elements, caloric content, ingredients, and moisture content, butminimally, caloric content 801 expressed in energy per measured unit,and moisture content 802.

The food database, being populated with food items as just described,therefore provides for the energy content per measure as required tocompute the proper measure of food energy portions to be delivered todomesticated animals corresponding to their daily ME requirements.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram showing a representative example of adatabase table containing a plurality of individual companion animals.More specifically, a database record 900 is created for each uniqueanimal contained in an animal profile database, the profile consistingof characteristics that may impact the daily ME requirements of theanimal. Such characteristics preferably include breed, age, weight,physiological condition, listings of medical or health conditions, sex,whether a female is pregnant or lactating, typical activity level, andany daily activity in excess of its typical activity level, butminimally, the animal's MER would correspond to each unique animal ID.

Using a variety of well-known means, and using various combinations ofthe characteristics just mentioned, a daily RER 901 can be reasonablycomputed for each animal record in the database. Further, based onchanges in any of the characteristics, a more illuminating expression ofeach animal's energy requirements on any given day can be more closelyapproximated and expressed as its MER 902.

At such time as a pet owner is preparing the animal's daily foodportion, a server retrieves, and if required re-computes the animal'sMER to determine the approximate number of kcal that must be consumed toreplace the energy expended during the day.

The system and method of the present invention as just describedtherefore provides for a new and novel method of establishing healthyfood energy portions for domesticated animals based on energyreplacement needs and energy content of the specific food types fed tothe animal.

Veterinary professionals and those skilled in the art will immediatelyappreciate the benefits never before available to the average pet owner,namely the ability to simply and precisely determine the most healthyand appropriate portion of food to be fed to their animal on a dailybasis, the healthier portion providing for a clinically significantreduction in long term medical problems, and an increase in the qualityof life and life expectancy of the animal.

Further, they will immediate recognize the significant commercial valueand competitive advantage that the system and method of the presentinvention delivers when compared to traditional food bowls andgeneralized feeding instructions provided by food manufacturers.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a plurality of animal andenvironmental conditions, changes in which drive changes in daily foodenergy portioning. For all domestic cats and dogs, change is inevitable.Whether it's physiological change ranging from birth to death, temporarychange such as an injury or unplanned day retrieving a ball at the localpark, or experiencing everyday environmental changes such as temperatureor humidity changes over the short or long term, animals, just likehumans, will experience corresponding variations in energy expenditure.

As a simple example, a normally lazy animal that expends 500 kcal perday, could expend an unplanned additional 125 kcal (25%) is stimulatedfor a full day while on a trip to a zoo. Now then, those skilled in theart will appreciate that animals replenish expended energy through foodconsumption, and will further appreciate that for this animal tomaintain a substantially equal energy input=energy output ration forthis extra-activity day, they will require a portion modification thatdelivers an additional 125 kcal portion.

Various columns in the chart 1000 show a partial list of animalcharacteristics 1001 that can routinely change on a daily basis, or overa longer term, any or a combination of which will directly drive therequirement to modify an animal's food portion.

One column 1002 illustrates many of the characteristics that may, or maynot change over time. In particular, “breed” and “sex” are listed as notchanging over time, since a female poodle will normally be expected toremain a female poodle throughout her life. Nevertheless, these twocharacteristics in fact drive more nuanced factors that drive portionmodification, especially when compared to a male Great Dane.

All of the other characteristics are expected to change over time, andall of them will most likely require food portion modification inresponse to the change.

Another column 1003 provides a “predictability” attribute to eachcharacteristic, specifically indicating the predictability of theoccurrence of a change in a certain characteristic. One can appreciatethat age is predictable; a 1-year old dog today will be a 2-year old dognext year. On the other hand, a dog that discovers a new squirrel in theback yard, will spend the entire day chasing the new “friend”, therebysubstantially increasing the day's energy expenditure over its normal,lower daily activity level.

It is important to understand that the predictability, unpredictability,or the actual occurrence of the inevitable change is traditionally notconsidered by pet owners when they prepare the pet's daily food, andmore importantly, is completely ignored by feeding instructions providedby pet food manufacturers.

Another column 1004 predicts the speed at which any animal'scharacteristics may change. In some cases, such as with “age”, oneunderstands that dogs and cats get older year over year.Correspondingly, the animals' nutritional needs, and correspondingportion modifications, change somewhat predictably over time. However,it is more important on a day-to-day basis to modify portions based onfast-changing, unpredictable change, such as a change in temperature.For instance, a dog sitting in front of the fireplace in a cabin in thesnow may, in mere minutes, be accompanying it owner on a day ofsnowshoeing. The moment the dog is exposed to a 20° C. temperature drop(72° F. in the cabin, to 38° F. on the snow course), its energy needsfor the period of time on the snow are 100% of the energy needs at 72°F.

Portion modification for this dog must replenish its above-averageenergy expenditure for the duration of time it was exposed to the 20° C.lower temperature.

A final column 1005 is a partial list of nutritional impact that may becaused by the change. As can readily be understood, nearly everychangeable characteristic, when changed, has a direct and correspondingimpact on nutrition. More specifically, every change could result in anincrease or decrease in daily nutritional needs, or in other words,more, or fewer calories when compared to the animal's normal dailycaloric intake.

Understanding the foregoing, those skilled in the art will immediatelyappreciate that predicting the daily food portion that equals the energyexpenditure of dogs and cats, especially considering the inevitablechange, and unpredictability thereof, is exceedingly difficult, and forthe majority of adult pet owners, mathematically out of reach.

They will further appreciate the value and novelty of the system andmethod the present invention that provides for computing modifiedportions for an animal based on changes in characteristics as justdescribed.

FIG. 11 a is an exemplary diagram illustrating four stages of life fordomesticated dogs and cats.

Ask most pet owners how many human years equal one “dog year”, and theywill most likely say “seven”. It's true that the generalization that theratio of dog to man years is 1:7 is integrated into society, however,it's false.

The fact is that larger dogs age faster than smaller dogs. Whenconsidering changes in life, it's also critical to consider lifeexpectancy, especially as it pertains to changes in nutritionalrequirements as pet dogs and cats age.

In the chart 1100, four columns are shown categorized by animal weight.The left-most column lists animal age (in human years), from one to 110years.

The right side of the figure lists what are commonly referred to by theveterinary world as “Life Stages”. The first life stage is the “GrowthStage” 1101, the period between birth, and when the animal is clinicallyconsidered an adult. It is during this time that animal nutritionalneeds on a kcal/pound of body weight are the highest they willexperience during their life time. It is also during this period thatthe actual number of calories the animal should consume literally changeon a daily basis. As a consequence, pet owners should change the dailyportion amount to meet the growth requirements for each day. But theydon't.

Food manufacturers generalize by recommending “let them eat until theyare full”.

Since, until the present invention, there has not previously existed areliable system and method to advise pet owners the precise portion tofeed to growing puppies and kittens on a daily basis, pet owners had torely on the generalized recommendation just described.

One disadvantage with the old method is that pet owners could notcompare the predicted portion amount for the particular stage of growthwith the actual portion consumed by the animal. Therefore, if the animalwas under or over eating, when compared to the predicted “normal”nutritional requirement for the particular breed of cat or dog, theowner would be unaware of possible medical problems that were causingthe over/under portion consumption.

Further, the risk of under-feeding exists when the owner provides asmall scoop portion in the first few weeks, but does not use a largerscoop the moment the animal is “cleaning it's plate”. In such instances,the animal is being under-fed, a condition that retards bone, organ andmuscle growth, and promotes cognitive development.

Now then as the animal ages, it enters the adult stage 1102, generallyconsidered its most active years. During this time, the animal willexperience many of the daily and longer-term changes as previouslydescribed, and although the animal will generally be on a “daily dietroutine”, this is the period during which many of the daily changes willrequire day-to-day portion modification to match the wide variations inenergy expenditure when compared to their “normal”.

During the senior stage 1103, as with humans, metabolic function slows,activity level diminishes when compared to their adult stage activity,and the occurrence of chronic diseases creep in. Every condition justmentioned has a direct, and oftentimes daily impact on portionmodification.

The final stage of life, the geriatric stage 1104 is the end of lifestage during which very old animals will need special attention paid totheir nutritional needs. Over-feeding animals at this stage canaccelerate or exacerbate medical problems, and under-feeding can resultin loss of organ function, cognitive function, or other maladies.

Understanding the foregoing description of the various stages of life,as well as the variations in “dog years” and life spans corresponding toanimals of different weight, those skilled in the are will immediatelyappreciate the difficulties in managing appropriate food portions basedon changes throughout a pet's life, and will further appreciate thevalue and benefit of more precisely managing daily portions as providedby the present invention.

FIG. 11 b is an exemplary diagram illustrating the differences inestimated life spans for certain breeds of dogs.

More specifically, based on decades of data from the American KennelAssociation, as well as associations dedicated to many of the more than339 dog breeds recognized by the World Canine Organization, estimatedlife spans vary greatly. Further, as can be readily seen in thesubstantially abbreviated chart 1105, obesity has the effect of reducinglife spans by approximately 15%.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the percent of body fatconsidered healthy for dogs is not a generalized figure that can beapplied to all breeds, and although not shown, the healthy body fatcontent for a Doberman is substantially lower than that for a GoldenRetriever.

However, the important underlying information expressed in the chart isthat as life spans vary by breed, and as the reduction in life spanscaused by obesity also vary by breed, so too must nutritionalmodifications vary by breed.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary diagram showing a portion of an animal energyrequirements chart, in particular illustrating the variable energyrequirements of an animal based on changing conditions throughout theanimal's life.

More specifically, the chart 1200 lists various Daily Metabolic EnergyRequirements (MER), the requirements based on various conditions fordogs weighing between 10 and 20 pounds, as shown in the weight column1201. It should be noted that a full chart would list dog weightsbetween 1 pound, and up to 200 pounds, representing weights of more than99 percent of the global canine population. For each weight, there is acorresponding energy modification as illustrated by the remainder of thechart.

Before the increase or decrease in energy requirements can be determinedfor any of the many conditions previously described herein, a baselineenergy requirement for cats and dogs must first be determined,otherwise, there is no basis upon which condition-based energy changecan be added or subtracted.

Although literature teaches various method of determining baselineenergy requirements, the chart of FIG. 12 relies on a widely-usedformula for estimating the Resting Energy Requirements (RER). Theformula, RER=70 (W kg)¾, where RER is the pet's Resting EnergyRequirement expressed in kilocalories (kcal), and W is the ideal healthyweight for the pet, estimated the daily energy requirement at rest,expressed in kilograms (kg).

Now, the RER 1202 is shown for ideal weight adult dogs weighing 10 to 20pounds. By this chart, it can be readily seen that a 10 pound adult dogwill “burn” 218 kcal per day, if they rest the entire day with aninactive digestion system. Of course, it's unreasonable to assume a dogwill not move all day, and also unreasonable to assume that a dog willnot eat of drink during the day.

Therefore, the formula provides for a consistent baseline from whichincreased energy expenditure can be estimated for all conditions andactivities.

As previously described, the energy requirements for any given animalchange with each of the different stages of life. Puppies 1203 betweenbirth and 4 months old have one of the highest metabolic rates of allstages since they are on an exceedingly fast growth trajectory. As canbe seen, if the puppy will ultimately become a 10 pound adult with anRER of 218 kcal/day, their actual MER will be approximately three timesthe RER. Recognizing that RER is based largely on weight, it can bereadily seen that as a puppy grows from 2 to 5 pounds in just a fewweeks, determining weight-based RER, and correspondingly MER, on asliding scale becomes a daunting task.

One object of the system and method of the present invention is toprovide the means to more accurately estimate the actual dailynutritional portion that a puppy would need each day along this growthtrajectory. This level of portion predictability, and the ability tomodify portions based on daily-changing weight during a high growthperiod, has never before been available to the millions of pet ownersraising pets from their earliest weeks following birth.

One condition that will decrease the MER for adult animals is neutering.Neutered pets expend less energy each day when compared to pets withreproductive capabilities. By comparing the MER for 10 pound intactadult dogs 1205 to 10 pound neutered dogs 1204, it can be readily seenthat the portions should drop 44 kcal immediately after neutering.

While 44 kcal may seem insignificant, it must be considered as foodportion that is 44 kcal too high. A pet owner continuing to feed theirpet the same portions before and after neutering will effectively causea weight gain of approximately 4 pounds over a year—or a 40 percentoverweight condition that is clinically considered obese for a 10 pounddog. Considering the unacceptably high pet obesity rate, the scenariojust described is more prevalent than pet owners who appropriatelymodify the portions of their pet after neutering.

Upon a pet owner entering into the system and method of the presentinvention the fact that their pet is now neutered, the inventionautomatically re-computes and notifies the owner of the appropriatedaily food portion based, in part, on this newly changed condition. Forthe first time, owners receiving prompt notification of modifiedportions based on changing conditions aids in averting overfeedinganimals following neutering.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the energy contentcontained in one gram of food for various brands of dog food.

As previously described, food portions as used herein refer to thecaloric content of a volume of food. Pet owners would be challenged tounderstand how to feed the 10 pound dog in the previous example 348 kcalof food each day. Pet owners are conditioned to use a measuring deviceto routinely prepare a certain volume of food.

The system and method of the present invention provides for a fooddatabase containing available pet foods correlated to the energy contentof each food.

The chart 1300 is a list illustrating representative examples only sevendifferent brands and types 1301 of food that may be purchased and servedby a pet owner. In practice, literally hundreds of different brands andtypes of foods are commercially available for purchase throughveterinarians, retail stores, and online.

As can readily be seen in the energy column 1302, the first and secondfood types, even though they originate from the same manufacturer,contain substantially different energy content per gram measurement ofthe food.

A pet owner feeding a specified volume of Chicken and Rice Adult type totheir dog, then for any number of reasons, switching to Rich PuppyFormula, as an example, would be delivering over 50 percent morecalories to their pet per similar volume.

Therefore, the system and method of the present invention provides for apet owner to select the food they are feeding their pet from a pluralityof brands and food types contained in the database, and afterconsidering the caloric content of the selected food, delivers amessage, not shown, to the pet owner a precise measurement of theportion that should be fed to the pet, for instance, a text to theowner's smartphone displaying a message: “Today's Portion is 10.5grams”.

At least one embodiment of the present invention eliminates guesswork onthe part of the pet owner, remains flexible in serving the pet ownerwith portions based on any food type the owner purchases, and ensuresestablishing healthy and consistent food portion delivery. Similarly,the moisture content 1303 is a known value for each food brand, andfollowing the volume of proper food portion, the volume of moisture canalso be computed.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a graph correlating weight,age, and variable energy requirements for a Cocker Spaniel from birth todeath, as being representative of ever-changing, condition-based energyrequirements of all dogs and cats.

More specifically, a lifeline 1402 for a representative typical CockerSpaniel with a healthy weight target of approximately 30 pounds is shownno the top graph 1400, the lifeline illustrating the representativeanimal's weight from birth to death. An estimated life span for ahealthy, well-maintained dog of this breed is approximately 16 years.

A second dashed line is an alternative lifeline 1404 this representativedog would likely experience if it was fed unhealthy, unmodified foodportions throughout its lifetime.

As previously discussed, this animal will experience up to fourdifferent life stages 1403, those being growth, adult, senior, andgeriatric, the four stages being overlaid on the graph.

The left side of the graph shows the animal's body weight, the rightside showing the daily MER for this pet experiencing a typical house petlevel of activity. Because of the relatively low resolution of the 17year scale of this chart, the non-typical fluctuations in daily activityand energy expenditure are not shown, but as previously discussed, alogical daily change in energy expenditure is expected.

Without being burdensome or repetitive, a brief look at the explodedchart 1401 of the puppy's growth stage shows a rapid weight gain,corresponding to an accelerating requirement for energy consumption.During the first 4 months, MER is expected to be three times the CockerSpaniel RER. As it approached adulthood, MER drops off slightly to twicethe RER.

Now, continuing on the first chart 1400, the adult weight and MERstabilizes somewhat in the adult stage. However, at about the sixthyear, this representative animal was neutered, a condition thatnaturally reduces the MER. The healthy lifeline illustrates arecognition of this event, and correspondingly lowers the portion sizefrom slightly higher than 900 kcal, to approximately 875 kcal dailyportion.

On the other hand, in the alternative lifeline 1404, the owner has notrecognized the MER reduction, and continues feeding the animal the sameportion that the animal has been fed for the previous 3-4 years. Hence,a weight gain trend begins un-abated.

In the healthy lifeline, monitoring the ratio of food portions to weightas provided by the present invention, a weight gain trend is identifiedas the animal naturally begins to reduce its activity level. At suchtime as the system and method of the present invention determines theweight gain to be outside of the healthy range, illustrated on thelifeline at about the 10 year mark, the system generates an alert, andsends the message to the owner to modify portions, with specificity onthe new portion measurement.

On the other hand, the alternative lifeline 1404 illustrates that theowner has continued to feed the same portions of food to the animal, andalthough perpetuating an imperceptible day-to-day weight gain, thelifeline shows that the declining activity level and lower MErequirements over the later life stages has pushed the animal into theobese category.

Therefore, the daily and long-term monitoring and food portionmodification system of the present invention is a novel and improvedmethod of maintaining optimum short and long-term health in response oranticipation of changed conditions throughout an animal's lifetime,thereby ameliorating the onset of obesity related diseases and medicalconditions, maintaining a relatively higher quality of life, andextending the life span when compared to currently available methods ofmanaging food portions.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary diagram showing Body Condition Scores (BCS) fordomesticated dogs and cats, and a food energy modification method toachieve the healthiest condition.

Therefore, the present system and method of modifying food portionsprovides for any animal of any condition to enter the system at anytime.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the many attempts to “score”body condition of pet dogs and cats in order to identify healthy andunhealthy conditions. In the chart 1500, one method widely used by theindustry to determine an animal's current body condition is the BodyCondition Score (BCS) system developed by Purina®. In one configuration,the Purina® system categorizes body condition in five levels, numbered1-5 as illustrated 1501. In another higher resolution configuration notshown, a scale of 1-9 is used. A text description helps to identify bodycharacteristics of each scoring number.

The body conditions for dogs and cats are additionally represented bysilhouettes 1502 of each condition, thereby providing a visual referencefor owners to more accurately determine the score for their animal.

At least one embodiment of the present invention introduces a new andnovel method of establishing food portion modifications based on BCS,automatically generating an appropriate portion corresponding with ahealth-driven objective.

In other words, upon an owner entering the numerical score of theiranimal into the system of the present invention, the score being anumber 1-5, along with other characteristics that may include breed,age, sex, and so forth as previously described, the system determines anunderweight, overweight, or ideal weight condition, and modifies theanimal's baseline MER to begin moving the animal's weight toward theideal, and more healthy weight.

Although various formulae 1503 are shown, the formula being differentfor each numerical score, it is not the intention of the presentinvention to limit the formulae to those as shown, but to illustratethat a large number of formulae and/or algorithms may be used to thesame effect of computing a modified nutritional energy consumption of adomesticated dog or cat to thereby modify the weight over a period oftime considered to be safe for weight gain or weight loss for variousanimals.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary diagram showing weight fluctuations relative tounchanged food energy portions, and correlating to reduced foodportions.

More specifically, in addition to the various methods and objectives ofmodifying food portions as previously described, two conditions relatedto weight loss and portion modification are also be considered by thesystem and method of the present invention. Until now, pet owners havenot been able to monitor the correlation between weight loss and foodportion consumption, and as a result, have not been able to detectpotential medical problems in early onset. The result, as those skilledin the art appreciate, is the progression of many life threatening, andlife span shortening diseases and declining health conditions.

In the drawing, a first condition 1600 is shown wherein, as monitored bythe system of the present invention, weight loss over a non-specifiedtime occurs while food portion remains constant. This correlation wouldgenerally be considered non-typical, and in many cases, unhealthy.Unfortunately, pet owners, previously having no widely available andreliable system to monitor and identify such anomalies, remain unawareof the possible causes, and are therefore unable to make the appropriatemodification to portions, or to take action in seeking out veterinaryadvice.

In the right-hand chart to the first condition, a list of possiblemedically related causes for weight drop with consistent portions isshown, including hyperthyroidism, parasites, and so forth. Veterinarianevaluation is recommended in all of these cases, since the indicateddiseases are all life threatening or life shortening. The system of thepresent invention, upon identifying the anomalous correlation, generatesand alert to the pet owner identifying the problem, and listing possiblecauses with appropriate responsive action.

It should be noted that not all causes of this type of anomaly aredisease related, and it is important for a pet owner to evaluate theirpet upon receiving a notice from the present invention.

Namely, as can be seen in the right-most column, an animal exposed tosustained lower temperature, for instance, an outside dog encounteringthe winter months, will require more energy to keep warm at lowertemperatures.

Another possible cause is a marked increase, and sustained increase inactivity over previously traditional activity levels. For instance, if anew puppy is introduced into the household, the baseline activity levelfor the existing dog will likely increase as the demand for “playtime”by the puppy keeps the adult dog more on the go.

In these instances, and others, the change in conditions warrant amodification in food portion, namely, an increase in portions tocompensate for the increased energy expenditure.

The system of the present invention, having computed the variableconditions, and evaluated possible causes and appropriate responses,provides guidance to the pet owner on seeking medical attention fortheir pet, or modifying food portions to a new and specific amount basedon the food brand and type they are feeding the animal.

In a second condition 1601, weight loss is accompanied by a drop inportion consumption, as identified by the system of the presentinvention. The identification of correlating weight drop and portionreduction triggers a different set of cause and solution relationshipswhen compared to the first condition just described.

As can be readily seen in the disease/illness column, a set of possibleunderlying medical causes are listed which are different from theprevious medical conditions just described. Nevertheless, theseconditions also warrant a veterinary check-up and possible medicalintervention.

On the other hand, the correlating drop in weight and portionconsumption maybe normal and expected in certain instances. As ascreening tool to help an owner determine whether this condition isconsidered normal, or abnormal and requiring veterinary care, a list ofqualifying questions may be posed to the owner, such as “has your petbeen recently vaccinated?”. In such cases, a short-term drop in weightand food consumption may be considered normal.

However, the present system and method acknowledges that such drop, ifindeed related to a recent vaccination, should in fact be temporary.Upon continued monitoring, the present invention, upon determining thatthe condition is continuing beyond a specified period of time, willagain alert the owner indicating that the weight and consumption dropmay in fact, not be associated with the vaccination, but may be anindicator of an underlying medical problem, The present system andmethod therefore will notify the owner of the appropriate action to taketo establish and correct the cause.

The system and method of the present invention provides for a new andnovel approach of (a) monitoring pet animal weight ratio to foodportions, (b) identify anomalies when compared to normal ratios, (c)correlate the anomaly to a database of possible causes, and (d)automatically generate and send alert messages to an owner's smartphoneor email box as to the problem, possible causes, the appropriate actionto take, and (e) importantly, the urgency with which the owner shouldtake action.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary diagram of a flow chart showing a plurality ofchange-in-condition inputs that can trigger an animal's daily foodenergy portion modification.

As previously described, a multitude of conditions may, and will likelychange over the lifetime of an animal. In many instances, a plurality ofconditions chance simultaneously, or at other instances, an overlap ofconditions may occur, each with different starting and ending points.

The system and method of the present invention accommodates planned andunplanned changes, and establishes the correct portion modificationbased on not only a single change, but multiple changes.

In the drawing, a pet owner enters starting information on their pet,namely the pet's age 1700, weight 1701, upon which entry the presentinvention assigns growth stage attributes, and BCS 1702 whichestablished the generalized health condition of the animal. During theprocess, an appropriate MER is established. As can be seen, and aspreviously described, upon establishing that BCS is ≤the ideal numeral3, the present invention automatically modifies the nutritional portionby a factor of one additional RER.

The data entry just described 1700, 1701, 1702 are quantifiable andexpected. However, other conditions, whether temporary or long-term, areless predictable, Nevertheless, these other conditions are know to thoseskilled in the art to have a direct, and occasionally significant andimmediate impact on energy expenditure. Accounting for these conditionchanges requires an immediate modification of the daily food portion.

Namely, when the temperature 1704 drops 20° C. from a thermo-neutraltemperature, energy requirements immediate increase.

It should be noted that the temperature change may be established by awearable electronic tracking and recording device placed upon theanimal, by manual input by a pet owner, or by real-time regionalanalysis of weather information as may be obtained on a smartphone orcompute application via a weather data API.

Following the logic diagram from the temperature change 1704, it isfound that the MER should be increased for each specified change, or maychange on a sliding scale relative to temperature drop, and should becomputed for the specific time of exposure to the changed temperature asa fraction of a 24 hour day. Thereafter, the increased MER is computedto be the difference between the total MER expected at thermo-neutraltemperature, and the changed temperature, resulting in an quantifiedadditional food portion modification. This modification is additive toany other recommended modifications resulting from other changedconditions experienced by the animal during the day.

Without exhaustively illustrating every additive or subtractivemodification to MER in response to every possible condition, it can bereadily seen that the novelty of the present invention accommodates aplurality of sequential and/or simultaneous conditions, and correlatesall of the conditional changes, and the corresponding changes in MER, toone end-of-day MER 1705, then, based on the owner-selected food brandand food type, computes the food portion modification 1706 that iseasily delivered to the pet owner via various means of messages orindicia at feeding time.

FIG. 18 is an exemplary diagram of a flow chart showing one process ofmodifying daily nutrition (energy and fluid) in response to changingenvironmental conditions.

As another representative illustration of how the system and method ofthe present invention accommodates multiple change conditions inestablishing an appropriate food portion modification, the presentinvention further correlates food to changes in hydration requirements.

Activity trackers, accelerometer and/or GPS driven devices worn on thebody are increasingly migrating their way into dog and cat activitywearable devices. At least one embodiment of the present inventiontherefore accommodates input from any animal wearable device as a changeinput from which an appropriate food portion modification may becomputed.

In the drawing, energy expenditure and temperature data 1800 is inputtedinto the input of the system of one embodiment of the present invention.The input may be by wired or wireless communication, or may be manuallytransferred from various devices and inputted by a pet owner.

The flow chart 1801 evaluates the inputted data against the baselinedata, which includes among other data points, the animal's typicalthermo-neutral temperature and MER, and determining whether the inputteddata constitutes an actionable change condition, follows a logicalcourse in computing the increased or decreased food portion modificationas prescribed to approximate the energy content of the daily foodportion with the total energy expenditure of the animal based on anychange conditions.

Similar to the process of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention as previously described, the end result of a simple message orindicia sent to the owner, the message containing information specifyingthe total food portion 1802 that should be fed to the animal on thatparticular day.

It is well known throughout the pet industry that proper hydration is acritical component to maintaining health, and that dehydration orexcessive drinking can, and often does, trigger life threatening medicalemergencies that require veterinary care. Notwithstanding the extremeover drinking or dehydration conditions, the system and method of atleast one embodiment of the present invention further assesses andrecommends appropriate water portions, based in part on the modifiedfood portions.

The wide variety of food types, namely dry food kibble, semi-moistfoods, and canned dog and cat foods contain a wide variation of fluidcontent. Therefore, an animal eating only dry food which containsapproximately 8 percent water, will require more clear water than ananimal eating only canned food which contains approximately 80 percentwater.

The amount of water intake for an animal will depend on the food portionand type of food consumed by the animal during the day.

Therefore, in the drawing, one can see that if the temperaturedifference has resulted in an increase or decrease in food requirements1803, the novel system and method is the first method providing forestablishing modifications in total hydration requirements as well 1804,using well know formula not shown.

Finally, by understanding the total fluid requirements, and furtherunderstanding the total food portions or modified food portions, andfurther understanding the fluid content in the determined food portion,the total clear fluid volume required by the animal can be determined1805 by subtracting the food fluid volume from the total required fluidvolume, thereby delivering a message to the owner recommending theappropriate modification in water consumption 1806.

FIG. 19 is an exemplary diagram of a flow chart illustrating one methodof self-correcting daily energy requirements of an animal based ondietary trends.

As has been clearly established in the foregoing description, and as iswell know in the industry, conditions that effect nutritional andhydration requirements constantly change throughout an animal's life.Notwithstanding the day-to-day modifications in food portions, overtime, the animal's requirements will slowly change. As a consequence,the actual dietary habits will change, and will require generalmodifications to baseline MER from time to time.

For the first time, the present system and method provides a process toautomatically adjust the animal's baseline MER over time in response tolong-term trend changes in dietary habits.

For efficiency, and in the interest in not being repetitive, theinputting processes, both manual and from automated devices such asactivity trackers 1900, all of which having been previously described indetail FIG. 17, 18 , are not described again.

At least one embodiment of the present invention provides for anotheranalysis of modified food portions 1901 wherein long-term deviationsbetween the actual portions consumed and the predicted portions areperpetually monitored, recorded and evaluated, and at such time that theamount of deviation meets preset parameters within the program of atleast one embodiment of the present invention, the amount being apercentage of actual computed caloric content, the system and methodwill auto-correct the baseline MER 1902 from which future portioncomputations will be made.

Although the importance of this novel functionality would be evident tothose skilled in the art, it should be noted that in instances when anowner incorrectly identifies the BCS of their pet, as a representativeexample, selects BCS score number 3 rather than the more accurate scoreof number 4, and further initially enters an activity level that isbelow the actual daily activity level of the animal, there will be amis-correlation between the estimated MER of the animal based oninitially incorrect inputted conditions and the actual MER as evidencedby the actual energy expenditure recognized by at least one embodimentof the present invention.

The deviation from the predicted MER based on the erroneously enteredinitial pet parameters and conditions may vary, and should not beconsidered to be a hard number or percent, and may additionally varybetween cats and dogs, and further between certain breeds of cats ordogs. Therefore, by understanding the vagaries of what constitutes adeviation for different animals, one will appreciate that a large numberof deviation parameters may exist within at least one embodiment of thepresent invention, and that the appropriate deviation parameters willdrive the auto-correcting process for adjusting the MER depending on theindividual animal.

FIG. 20 is an exemplary diagram illustrating sensors and transmitters tocommunicate water consumption related data to a wireless device.

In the drawing, an animal 2000 is shown drinking water from a controlledand metered source. A sensor module 101 is affixed to the animal's neck,the sensor module comprising one or more EMG and/or position sensors anda transmitting means in wireless communication 2002 with a wirelesshandheld device 2003. Further, a water volume sensor module 2004 isaffixed to a controlled water source, in particular, a water bowl 2005.The sensor module 2004 is shown to also be in wireless communication2006 with the wireless handheld device 2003.

As a means to establish a baseline data sample by which the volume ofwater consumed from unmetered water sources by an animal can bepredicted, the data from the collar sensor module 2001 and the meteredwater source sensor 2005 are simultaneously received by the handhelddevice 2003. During the period of time that the animal is drinking, theunique variations in collar sensor data that is received by the handhelddevice are first identified as the electronic “signature” associatedwith drinking. Secondarily, the difference between the starting watervolume, and the ending water volume contained in the water source 2005is computed by subtracting the volume related data received from thesource sensor 2004 after drinking from the volume related data beforedrinking. The difference is the volume of water consumed during theinstant drinking episode.

The water consumption over time value is then computed, the computationbeing performed by a software application installed on the handhelddevice, or by a software application installed on a network server towhich the handheld device is in communication, the consumption over timevalue thereby becoming the baseline consumption during a period duringwhich the electronic drinking signature occurs.

The display screen of the handheld device 2003 shows an electronic datastream received from the collar mounted sensor module 2001. In thedrawing, the peaks and troughs shown are representative of signal leveland/or signal amplitude changes that occur throughout the drinkingperiod. Those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate that thedata stream just described will differ significantly from the datastream received during other animal activities, for instance, whensleeping, or running vigorously. Therefore, the data stream receivedduring the drinking cycle will be unique compared to other activities,and further will be unique to each animal.

The lower half of the display screen on the handheld device 104 showsthe computed volume of water consumed by the animal during the drinkingcycle, the computed volume being the difference between starting andending data transmitted from the bowl sensor module 2004.

Therefore, by referring to the illustrative example, it can beimmediately appreciated that the occurrence of the duration of the datastream correlating to a drinking signature has resulted in theconsumption of 3 oz. of water.

Further, and merely as an example of how this information is applied todrinking form unmetered water sources, if the data stream of thedrinking signature occurred for 6 seconds, during which time 3 ounces ofwater was consumed, then it is reliable to predict that at any time theanimal produces the data stream signature associated with drinking, theanimal will consume an estimated ½ ounce of water during each secondthat is continues drinking.

FIG. 21 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a plurality of animals towhich sensors and transmitters are affixed, the sensors in communicationwith a wireless device and network.

More specifically, a first sensor module 2100 is affixed to one animal,while a second sensor module 2102 is affixed to a second sensor. Thesensors are shown to be in wireless communication with a handheld device2108. Having been previously paired with the handheld device, thecomputed consumption volume of the animal wearing the first sensor 2100is shown as 4.2 ounces 2105 on the display screen, while the consumptionvolume of a second animal wearing a second sensor 2102 is shown as 3ounces 2104 on the display screen.

In one embodiment, the sensor modules affixed to animals drinking froman unmetered source of water 2107 while out of range of a wirelesslyconnected device store the drinking data until within range of thedevice, at which time, the sensor modules will upload the respectivedata streams that correlate to all drinking events that occurred sincethe last upload.

In another embodiment, the handheld device contains software tocorrelate the data stream to the predicted consumption over time, andcompute the actual consumption relating to the just-uploaded data. Inyet another embodiment, the data stream is uploaded to a network serverin the cloud 2106 wherein water consumption computation occur, and theresulting consumption data communicated to the handheld device.

It should be noted that although the drawing shows two animals, thenumber of animals that can managed by at least one embodiment of thepresent invention is only practically limited by the desires of theowner. For instance, water consumption for each of an entire herd ofhorses or cows can be monitored on a daily basis.

FIG. 22A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a variation of a networkupon which a plurality of different species of animals are equipped withsensors and transmitters in wireless communication with a network.

In some instances, it is preferable to monitor more than one species ofanimal. For instance, a sheep rancher must monitor hydration for hishorse, as well as his working dog.

In the drawing, the rancher of the just described example uses ahandheld device 2204 to monitor water consumption of the horse viawireless communication 2203 with a paired sensor monitor 2202 affixed tothe horse's bit collar, while at the same time, monitoring the waterconsumption of his working dog via wireless communication 2201 with apaired sensor monitor 2200 affixed to the dog collar. In some instances,it is preferable to compute water consumption using software installedon the handheld device, while in other instances, it may be preferableto compute water consumption by wirelessly communicating the sensor data2106 through the handheld device to a prescribed network server.

FIG. 22B is an exemplary diagram illustrating one variation of a displayof water consumption information on a wireless device.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is not only importantto monitor the total water consumption of animals during a given timeperiod, but to maintain the proper level of hydration throughout theday. In other words, working animals such as dogs and horses can becomedehydrated during the hot periods of the day when they are highlyactive, even though they by actually consume the predicted amount ofwater by the end of a 24 hour time period.

In the drawing, a handheld device 2204 is shown displaying certaininformation that provides the owner with an understanding of the currenthydration level of his animals. For instance, having previouslypredicted the total water consumption requirements of the horse usingwell-known formulae, the owner can, at any time, view at least the horsedata 2205 comprising for instance, the total volume of water consumedduring the current data recording period, and the percent of totalpredicted daily water requirements consumed so far.

Similarly, having previously predicted the total water consumptionrequirements of the dog using well-known formulae, the owner can, at anytime, view at least the dog data 2206 comprising for instance, the totalvolume of water consumed during the current data recording period, andthe percent of total predicted daily water requirements consumed so far.

By viewing the data periodically, or alternatively setting alertsindicating percent of water consumption over time, the owner can knowwhether he must stop work and find water to rehydrate the animals priorto them incurring the physically damaging effects of dehydration.

FIG. 23 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofmonitoring water consumption from unmetered water sources.

Upon setting up a new animal on the system of at least one embodiment ofthe present invention, an owner must establish a baseline drinkingsignature 2300 to which future sensor module data will be compared. Atleast two elements are required for setup, one being affixing a wearablesensor module to the animal 2301, the sensor being configured to collectelectronic data streams associated with specific animal movements whiledrinking, and another element being a metered water source 2302 fromwhich the volume of water consumed by the animal during setup can bedetermined.

As the animal drinks from the metered water source 2303, two datastreams are received, one from the wearable sensor 2304, the other fromthe metered water source 2305. The two data streams are received fromthe two previously described elements by a paired receiving device 2306,for instance, a handheld device such as a tablet or smartphone.

As the owner interacts with the handheld device, specifically turningthe data from the wearable sensor on during the period that the animalis drinking, and turning the data off after the animal finishesdrinking, software will then correlate the two data streams 2307 so thatcomputation of water consumption and be computed for the period of timethat the drinking signature from the wearable device occurred. Thecomputation 2308 is preferably performed by software installed on thehandheld device, but may also be performed by a server on the networknot shown.

Upon receiving the results of the computation, a reference signature isestablished 2309, and stored upon the handheld device or server 2310.Thereafter, future instances of electronic drinking data streams will becompared to and analyzed against the reference signature to compute theperiodic consumption of water from unmetered sources.

Since those skilled in the art appreciate that averaging results frommultiple sample testing results in higher accuracy, is preferable toperiodically repeat 2311 the entire process just described, and averagethe samples 2312 and update the reference signature on the handhelddevice or server.

FIG. 24 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofevaluating, analyzing, and reporting on cumulative daily and long-termwater consumption of a domesticated animal.

Animals may drink from both metered and unmetered water sources duringany given time period. One embodiment of the present invention is asystem and method of ignoring the drink monitoring data while an animalis drinking from a metered source, and opening the data collectionstream when drinking from an unmetered source to eliminate erroneousdouble-counting of water while both data streams were received.

A sensor monitor is affixed to an animal 2400. At anytime during a datarecording period, for instance, a 24-hour day, the animal will approacha water source 2401. The collar sensor, having been previously pairedwith a handheld device recognizes the presence of another Bluetoothdevice. When an animal approaches a metered water source, recognition bythe collar sensor module 2402 of the proximity of a water meteringsensor will disable data collection by the wearable sensor and yield todata collection by the water metering sensor. This process eliminatesdouble counting of water consumption by the metered source and collarsensor when drinking from a metered source.

Upon a defined short period following completion of drinking from themetered water source, the data related to the animal's consumption fromthe metered source is transmitted using one of the means previouslydescribed to the animal's daily water consumption record, and added tothe already recorded amounts to determine the cumulative consumption2403. After a preset duration, the system recognizes that the animal hasleft the proximity of the metered water source, and resets the collarsensor 2404 to resume data collection of water consumed from unmeteredsources.

On the other hand, if the animal approaches an unmetered source, thecollar sensor module will identify the occurrence of the referencesignature 2406 corresponding to the drinking activity of the animal andrecord the signature for the duration that the signature remains withinthe predefined tolerance range of the reference signature.

Thereafter, upon recognizing no additional reference signature data, thedata is transmitted to a handheld device as previously described, ormaintained in temporary memory until the paired handheld device iswithin communication range. The data is thereafter computed 2406 bycomparing the duration of “in signature” data stream to the volume ofwater estimated to be consumed by the animal as defined by the referencesignature. Upon computing the estimated water just consumed 2407, thedata is communicated to the handheld device or the cloud 2408 andthereafter cumulated 2409 in the animal's daily water intake record ofthe animal's profile.

At the end of the preset recording period, for instance, a 24-hour day,the total water intake from metered and unmetered sources is combined,and the sum total of the daily water consumption is recorded as a dailyintake 2411 in the animal's long-term water consumption history.

Upon completion of the daily water consumption being added to theanimal's history, a report 2412 is delivered to the owner, such reportcontaining various information relating to the volume, trend analysis,variations, or other water consumption related information deemedimportant to the owner. A new recording period begins at the end of theprevious recording period.

FIG. 25 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofpredicting daily water consumption needs of an animal.

If an owner desires monitoring water consumption with the intention ofpreventing dehydration throughout the day, especially if the owner'sanimal is a working animal with a high energy output during various peaktimes of the day, it is preferable to first determine the estimateddaily water requirements of the animal against which cumulative waterconsumption can be compared.

An owner being the process of estimating his animal's water needs 2500buy opening a software application not shown, and entering physiologicaldata 2501 exclusive to an individual animal. The physiological data mayinclude but is not limited to animal species, sex, age, weight, and bodycondition score. Further, the owner may input the animal's average dailyactivity level 2502, or anticipated activity level.

The software application, using industry recognized formula computes thepredicted water needs of the animal during the day 2503. For instance,it is well known that livestock require approximately 43 mL or water perkg of body weight each day, while pet dogs need approximately 80 mL ofwater daily per kg of body weight. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that average multipliers are reliably used to modify thesehydration amounts based on increased activity levels, all of which maybe incorporated into the software application to predict the estimateddaily water requirements for each unique animal.

Upon determining the estimated water intake requirements of an animal,the daily requirements are stored in association with the individualanimal's profile stored on a database on a network not shown, and/orupon a handheld device as previously described.

Upon completing the animal profile entry, the program is closed. Duringthe future daily analysis of water consumption, the owner may elect toassess the percentage of water consumer at certain parts of the day ascompared to the recommended consumption volume that should have occurredby that time using the estimated daily requirements stored in theanimal's profile.

FIG. 26 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart of a method ofcommunicating animal water consumption to an animal owner through awireless network.

The value of water consumption tracking or analysis is diminished if thedata is not timely communicated to the animal owner. It is preferablethat a variety of animal consumption data are made available anddelivered to the owner through digital and printable reports.

An owner may start the request for a report 2600 by selecting manualreport extraction 2601, or setting up at least one embodiment of thepresent invention to generate one or more types of reports automatically2608.

To generate a manual report, an owner may select the report type 2602within a software application installed on the wireless device notshown. One report type may be a list 2603 of consumed water volumes frommetered sources, a list 2604 of consumed water volumes from unmeteredsources, or a combined list of total water consumed from all sources notshown.

Another report may be a comparison of actual consumption to predicted orrecommended consumption 2606, an invaluable report if the owner desiressuch data to help prevent animal hydration throughout the day.

Yet another report may be a trend analysis 2607 report that compareslong-term intake on a moving average, along with the analysis of any outof normal deviations that may indicate the onset of medical problems.

On the other hand, an owner may be busy with daily activities, andunable to generate a manual report at defined intervals throughout theday. In such instances it is preferable to set up an automated reportgeneration option within the software application. A primary differencebetween the manual report and automated report is that an alert 2606message is generated and sent to the owner as a text or email withrecommendations. In the illustration, one example of information sent tothe owner related to recommendations about water consumption fromunmetered sources. However, this recommendation is not meant to belimiting, and automated reports may notify the owner that additionalwater is necessary to avert animal hydration, or that an animal's dailywater consumption substantially differs from their recent normal dailyconsumption history, indicating possible animal distress or acutemedical problems that may require urgent veterinary intervention.

The owner may pause, suspend or terminate report generation and alerts2610 at any time.

FIG. 27 is an exemplary diagram illustrating representative data setsfrom sensing collars while different animals are scratching.

Multi-axis motion-sensing collars for pets are well known, and generallyprovide for the recording of movement of an animal for real-time orsubsequent computer analysis. Therefore, pet animals not shown havingbeen fitted with multi-axis motion-sensing collars not shown, move aboutwhile the sensing collar senses, processes, and transmits the recordedsensor data to a wirelessly connected storage device not shown.

In the drawing, two illustrative data sets are shown, a firstaccelerometer sine wave for a first data set 2700 being correlated to alarge dog scratching itself for approximately nine seconds, and a secondsine wave for a second data set 2701 correlating to a small dogscratching itself for a period of about six seconds.

It should be noted that the two sine wave forms are presented toillustrate the obvious differences between the large and small dogscratching signature due in large part to the differences in distanceand duration of movement of the accelerometer sensors in three-axisspace.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the wave forms, whetheranalog or digital, may repeatedly correlate to a given physical activityof any given pet animal, and that by observing the wave forms across thedata collected from an motion sensing collar over a given period oftime, the observance of a wave form 2700, 2701 will indicate that thepet has been scratching.

FIG. 28 is an exemplary diagram illustrating representative data setsfrom sensing collars while different animals are walking.

It is sometimes desirable to identify certain characteristics of petsbased on analysis of data collected form sensing collars.

In the drawing, a device not shown is worn separately around a pet'sneck or attached to a dog collar, the device comprising a circuit modulecapable of sensing, recording and temporarily storing data related toanimal movements, the module further being in wireless communicationwith a paired Bluetooth device. A software application is installed uponthe Bluetooth device not shown, for instance, a smart phone, the devicebeing in wireless communication with a networked server. As largevolumes of data are received by a server from a plurality ofanimal-mounted collars, the data is analyzed and compared to other knowndata sets to create baseline signatures that correlate specifically todifferent types of identifiable pets.

Data sets, having previously been loaded upon the network server orcontained as reference data sets on the memory of the Bluetooth device,consist of multiple components at least including: (a) the dataconsistent with a movement typically expected of the animal, and (b) theduration of the movement. The set of data just described is referred toas a “signature”.

In the illustrative example, following a large set of data related todogs walking, and more specifically having the benefit of petinformation, such as breed of dog correlated to the pet by the petowner, the data related to walking by dogs of every breed may be groupedand normalized to determine the walking data generally related to eachbreed. The wave form 2800 is shown as an example for male Great Danedogs, the movement of the accelerometer sensors, and the slow walkinggait being immediately discernable from the wave form generally relatingto male Golden retrievers 2801. Further, as one will immediatelyappreciate, the gait and speed of gait of a Toy Poodle are shown as aclearly differentiated wave form 2802.

Various mathematical formulae may be used to normalize the large, andpersistently updating data correlating to any number of specific filtersor know parameters selected for analysis.

FIG. 29 is an exemplary diagram illustrating representative data setsfrom a sensing collar and a metered water bowl while a pet is drinkingfrom the bowl.

In the drawing, a motion sensing collar not shown is used to record thehead, neck, esophagus, larynx, and other anatomy of a pet animal whiledrinking water. As previously discussed, it is important to monitorwater consumed from un-metered water sources throughout the day in orderto accurately assess fluid consumption trends over the life of the pet.

In the illustrative example, a wave form 2900 is determined to be thedrinking signature unique to the pet animal that generated this form. Itis well known that dogs and cats “lap” their water, with a variation inthe number of laps between swallows, and the volume of water consumedwith each swallow.

Therefore, at least two different wave forms comprise a signature, theform corresponding to the accelerometer data generated while swallowing,2901, and the repeated wave forms that correlate to multiple “laps” 2902that occur between each swallow.

The motion sensing collar, or a computer application wirelesslyconnected to the collar, having been trained to identify the drinkingsignature and the corresponding volume of water 2903 consumed during theoccurrence of the drinking signature can closely approximate the volumeof water consumed during the drinking session. The volume of waterconsumed from un-metered sources, such as a swimming pool or rainpuddle, can therefore be combined with the daily water consumption frommetered sources to cumulate a total water intake record for each petanimal.

FIG. 30 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the process of training thesystem to recognize a pet's drinking signature.

As previously described, a motion sensing collar and an associatedcomputer program is used to determine the volume of water consumed by apet from un-metered sources. To setup and train the collar, the collaris placed upon the pet 3000. The pet is placed in front of a meteredwater source, such as a water bowl that accurately computes the weightof the water in the bowl, or that determines water level, and correlatesweight or levels to water volume.

Using a device in wireless communication with the collar and the meteredwater source, the timing clock is synced between the bowl and collar3002. At such time as the pet begins to drink, the motion of the neck,throat and related muscles used to drink is recorded using multi-axisaccelerometers, and at the same time, the volume of water drawn from thebowl is recorded 3003. Thereafter, a processor 3004 correlates thedrinking volume to the drinking time to create a unique drinkingsignature for the pet. The signature is thereafter stored in one or moreof the sensing collar, the wirelessly connected device, or servers onthe cloud 3005.

Following the setup of the collar, the collar is de-linked 3006 from themetered bowl to prevent the system from double-counting water volume byadding the components of metered water consumed, and inferred waterconsumed during the presence of the drinking signature. After thesignature is set up, the collar will only record the drinking signaturewhen not in the immediate presence of a metered water source.

FIG. 31A is an exemplary diagram illustrating the side view of a caninebust highlighting selected anatomical features. More specifically, thedrawing shows a profile of a representative pet dog 3100 comprising atongue 3101, larynx 3102, sternohyoid muscle 3103 used to assistswallowing, esophagus 3104, trachea 3105, and primary neck musclesstemocephalic muscle 3106, brachiocephalic muscle 3107 and trapeziusmuscle 3108. It should be noted that the muscles just described arebilateral, so the drawing shows only the near side of each muscle.

As can be readily seen, a typical collar is located 3109 over the neck,encircling most all of the anatomical features just described. FIG. 31Bis an exemplary diagram illustrating the underside of a canine head andneck.

As will be instantly appreciated, canine and feline anatomy, and morespecifically the trachea, esophagus and muscles used for swallowing arelocated within a relatively small portion of a relatively wide neck. Inthe drawing, the underside of a typical dog is shown with the muscles ofthe left side of the illustration removed so as not to obscure relevantanatomy.

More specifically, the larynx 3102 and trachea 3105 are shown below thesternohyoid muscle 3103. The sternohyoid muscle 3103 is a bilateralmuscle, therefore, a mirror image of the muscle shown would appear overthe trachea and esophagus on the opposed side of the longitudinalcenterline of the dog's neck.

For illustrative purposes, a dotted line 3110 is shown as a means tooutline the approximate location of an electronic sensor module thatwould monitor specific movement and activity of the larynx, trachea,stemohyod muscle, the esophagus not shown, and other vital muscles aspreviously described.

Those skilled in the art will immediate appreciate that any failure tomaintain the position of electronic sensors directly aligned andcentered over these anatomical parts of a pet animal will result in lostsignals, missed sensing and recording of the activity, andcorrespondingly, loss of important data that would be vital to animalhealth persistent monitoring.

Therefore, it can be appreciated that at least one embodiment of thepresent invention provides for the placement and retention of a petmonitoring collar sensor in a position substantially proximate to theideally located area in the center, under-neck position of a companionanimal.

FIG. 32 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an improved pet collarcomprising a left side length 3200 of the collar shown with an enlargedfront section 3202 that would be positioned proximal to the throat, anda right side length 3203 of the collar, the left and right sides 3200,3203 being terminated in a buckle 3204 substantially positioned on thecenterline CL that is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pet'sspine. A center pull D-ring 3206 is shown affixed to the terminationbuckle, the D-ring being used for attaching a leash or lead line.

In the drawing, the enlarged front section 3202 functions as first partof a two-part latching means, the second part of the latching meansbeing integral to the right side length 3203 of the collar.

The center of the termination buckle 3204 is positioned such that thecircumferential distance of the right and left length of the collar3200, 3203 between the horizontal mid-point of the front of the enlargedfront of the collar 3202 is substantially the same.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that certain anatomicalfeatures of mammals are located within the neck, and substantiallyaligned about the center anterior portion of the neck, such featuresincluding the trachea 3105, esophagus 3104, and the bilateralsternohyoid muscles 3103. As can be readily understood, the widerportion of the front of the collar 3202 compared to the narrower backportion of the collar would more advantageously distribute the forceexerted on the front of the neck as a result of pulling on a leash notshown attached to the center pull D-ring 3205 over a larger surfacearea. Lower point-loading in the throat area thereby minimizes the riskof damaging those front-of-neck muscles and organs previously described.

As can be appreciated, in order for the enlarged section of the collarto remain positioned proximate to the throat area, it is the intentionof at least one embodiment of the present invention to rely on theincreased size and corresponding weight of the front of the collarcompared to the back of the collar. Additionally, at least oneembodiment of the present invention provides for the centered attachmentof one or more traditional pet identification tags 3207 by means of acentered tag loop 3206 affixed to the collar.

FIG. 33 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a traditional pet collar3300. It is not coincidental that the drawing appears to be of a designsubstantially similar to a belt typically threaded through belt loops onpants worn by pet owners. In fact, the operation of the collar 3300 isidentical to belts used as apparel accessories.

In the drawing, the collar 3300 is of a certain length designed toaccommodate a range of pet neck sizes. The range of neck sizes thisparticular collar would fit is determined by which buckle hole is used.For instance, to fit the collar properly on the smallest neck size forwhich this collar would be recommended, the owner would tighten thecollar through the buckle frame 3301 until the buckle prong 3302 isfitted through the last hole 3307. On the other hand, to lengthen thecollar to fit the largest neck size within the allowable range for thiscollar, the owner would loosen the collar so that the prong 3302 couldbe fitted through the first hole 3304. As can be appreciated, fittingthis collar to other neck sizes within the allowable range can beaccommodated by inserting the prong 302 through any of the appropriateremaining adjustment holes 305.

A multi-function D-ring 3306 is shown permanently affixed to the collar3300, the D-ring providing for (a) retaining the loose end of the collar3307 as a keeper when excess projects beyond the buckle frame, foraffixing pet identification tags not shown, and for attaching a leash orlead line when the owner desires controlling the movements of the pet.

FIG. 34A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of atraditional collar 3400 without a leash attached.

For positional reference, the anterior and posterior orientation of thecollar is shown, the anterior portion being that section of the collarthat will typically be positioned proximal to the pet's throat.

In the drawing, a buckle 3402, D-ring 3403, and pet identification tagsnot shown, but that would be affixed to the D-ring, together increasethe weight of that lower portion of the collar, biasing the position ofthe collar to the position shown even if the collar is manually rotatedabout the neck such that the buckle is positioned elsewhere on thecircumference. Therefore, the collar will naturally roll about the neckuntil the position shown is achieved. This position would be considereda default position.

In this position, the buckle is positioned anterior to the pet's trachea3105 and esophagus 3104.

However, additional accessories are often attached to pet collars, forinstance, pet activity trackers comprising accelerometer sensors,processors, a power supply, and Bluetooth communication circuits.Another popular accessory typically attached to traditional collars is a“find my pet” GPS tracker comprising circuitry for communicating withcell phone towers and the like.

In the drawing, one of the devices 3401 just described is positioned ona collar wherever the owner deems appropriate, and where there issufficient collar length to which the accessory may be attached. As canbe appreciated, the additional weight of such a device, when added tothe collar, increases the weight of one portion of the collar so thatthe collar would assume its default position more readily in response tothe total increased weight.

FIG. 34B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of atraditional collar with a leash attached.

When a leash 3404 is attached to the D-ring 3403 for purposes ofcontrolling the movement of the pet relative to the leash holder, it canbe instantly seen that the collar 3400 rotates about the neck to thatthe buckle 3402 and D-ring become positioned proximate to the posteriorportion of the neck, or nearly one half circumference from its defaultposition.

Further, it can be seen that the attached electronic device 3401previously describes concurrently rotates about the neck, retaining itsposition on the collar relative to the buckle.

One problem with the collar and electronics device assembly justdescribed is that the electronics and associated sensors have moveddistal to the throat area. In the event the device 3401 is intended tosense changes relating to events or movements of the trachea 3105 oresophagus 3104, the device would no longer function as intended, andwould be unable to capture physiological activities in the throat area.

Even if the device could continue to sense and record throat areaphysiological activity, the electronic signature would be substantiallydifferent from the signature that would be sensed and recorded when thedevice is positioned directly over the throat area, and would thereforenot provide the consistency in signal level necessary for persistenthealth monitoring.

FIG. 35A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of a centerpull collar with adjusted to the largest diameter.

As previously described, collars with leash D-rings proximate to theadjustment buckle require the collar to be rotated approximately 180degrees about the neck in order to attach the leash.

However, another type of commercially available collar provides for aseparate leash D-ring permanently affixed to a portion of the collarintended to be positioned 180 degrees from the buckle. In other words,the leash D-ring is intended to be positioned in the center or theposterior arc of the collar, and is referred to in the industry as a“center-pull” collar.

As previously discussed, collar lengths are selected so as to fit thehighest number of different neck sizes with the fewest number of SKUs.Therefore, even center-pull collars provide for a length adjustmentmeans.

In the drawing, the collar 3500 is shown adjusted to accommodate thelargest diameter pet neck, for instance, the buckle prong is insertedinto the first adjustment hole of the collar. As a consequence, thelonger length of collar between the fixed center pull D-ring 3501 andbuckle 3402 cause the buckle to rotate to an obtuse angle 3503 clockwiserelative to the default buckle centerline CL when a pulling force 3502is exerted on the collar by the leash not shown.

FIG. 35B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of a centerpull collar with adjusted to a median diameter.

In the position shown, the length of the right and left lengths of thecollar 3500 relative to the center pull D-ring 3501 are coincidentallysubstantially equal. This is not the result of functional design, but aresult of the pet's neck being of such a circumference that the buckleprong was inserted through the center collar length adjustment hole.

In this instance just described, the center pull D-ring 3501 and buckle3402 will remain substantially vertically aligned.

FIG. 35C is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of a centerpull collar with adjusted to the smallest diameter.

In the drawing, the collar 3500 is shown adjusted to accommodate thesmallest diameter pet neck, for instance, the buckle prong is insertedinto the last adjustment hole of the collar. As a consequence, theshorter length of collar between the fixed center pull D-ring 3501 andbuckle 3402 cause the buckle to rotate to an obtuse angle 3504counterclockwise relative to the default buckle centerline CL when apulling force 3502 is exerted on the collar by the leash not shown.

FIG. 36 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded isometric viewof an improved collar assembly.

More specifically, a collar assembly comprises a left length of collar3601, a right length of collar 3600, the right and left lengths being ofsubstantially equivalent lengths when installed on a pet. As can bereadily seen, a plurality of male fastening projections 3606 areintegral to the inside surface of the left length of collar 3601, whilea plurality of mating female portions are integral to the outer surfaceof the right length of the of collar 3600, the mating details justdescribed comprising a latch for installing or removing the collar froma pet.

A latch block 3606 is depressed by the outer mail portion of the latch,and once the two halves of the latch are slid into the latched position,the retaining block pops outward to retain the latch halves togethersecurely, preventing unwanted unlatching.

Another novel improvement of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention is the integration of a pet identification tag retaining loop3603 removably attached to one half of the latch. When unlatched, thetag retaining loop may be easily removed for adding or removing tagsfrom the collar. For instance, tags are frequently changed to reflectrenewed pet licensure, renewed or updated vaccinations, or toincorporate updated contact information for the pet owners. Therefore,those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate the nearly instantability to add or remove tags from the tag retaining loop.

Finally, a collar end keeper 3602 provides for precise centering of theleash D-ring 3607 integral thereto. Positioned at the ends of thesubstantially equal length right and left lengths of collar, the keeperprovides, for the first time, the ability of the owner to preciselyalign the enlarged latch area of the collar proximal to the throat, andthe center pull D-ring substantially centered on the posterior portionof the pet's neck.

Various alternatives for positioning the center-pull D-ring on collarsof different lengths and configurations will be discussed in more detailin upcoming figures.

FIG. 37 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a front view of an improvedcollar assembly 3700.

It should be noted that “front view” is the collar as viewed by lookingat the front of the pet. Reference to “right” or “left” side of thecollar correlate to the anatomical right or left side of the pet,respectively.

In the drawing, a substantially enlarged portion of the collar 3601 ispositioned substantially over the throat area of the pet. It can bereadily seen that the width W2 of the front portion of the collar is asubstantially larger dimension compared to the remainder of the collarW1. The enlarged portion of the collar comprises a latch that, onceengaged, is retained in the latched position by the latch block 3606.

An appropriately small, yet durable identification tag ring 3603 isshown suspended from the collar latch, and substantially aligned withthe center of the collar. It is well known to those skilled in the artthat identification tags that typically weight but one-half ounce, anddo not require the overdesigned structural weight or size of thetraditional leash D-ring. Therefore, another improvement of the presenttag attaching loop over the art is that the rind is minimally sized toprevent unwanted noise from dangling identification tags, and furtherreduces the opening sizes of collar attached rings that can becomesnagged on fences, sticks or other projections that can ensnare dogs.

FIG. 38 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a back view of an improvedcollar assembly.

A collar ends keeper 3800 and a leash D-ring 3801 are appropriatelycentered in the back of the collar. A leash, once attached to the D-ringand pulled, will not rotate the collar substantially from its intendedposition with the enlarged front of the collar remaining proximal to thethroat area. A tag loop 3603 is shown substantially centered and alignedwith the keeper 3800.

FIG. 39 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a side view of an improvedcollar assembly 3600 comprising a D-ring 3801 hingably attached to akeeper 3800, an outer portion 3601 of the latch, a latch block 3606, anda tag loop 3603.

As can be appreciated, the mass at the widest portion W2 at the bottomof the illustration is substantially larger than the mass at the upperend of the collar assembly providing for the lower portion of the collarto bias downward, and therefore remain substantially centered over thethroat portion of the pet.

FIG. 40 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an isometric view of alatched collar fastening device.

First, it should be noted that the latch components taught in at leastone embodiment of the present invention FIGS. 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 are notmeant to be limiting, but may be:

-   -   a) stand-alone components with one end affixed to the end of a        collar by means of threading the collar end through a loop on        the proximal end of the latch component,    -   b) integrally molded with the collar being of the same material,        or    -   c) insert molded over a non-moldable material, for instance,        nylon webbing.

A first end 4000 of a collar is shown mated in the attached position toa second end 4001 of a collar, the latch being retained in the lockedposition by means of a resilient latch block 3606.

To un-mate the two portions of the latch, the latch block 3606 is firstdepressed so that the first end of the latch 4000 is allowed to slideover the depressed latch block. Once the first end of the latch is slidover the latch block, interlocking male details not shown on theunderside of the first end are disengaged from their femalecounterparts, allowing the two ends of the latch to be separated.

Channels 4002 provide for the insertion of a tag retaining loop of across sectional geometry that fits snugly within the loop channels. Thetag loop is captured between the first and second ends of the latch whenengaged, thereby being retained in its intended position.

FIG. 41 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

An un-latched first end 4000 of a collar is shown with a plurality ofmale latching fingers 4005 projecting downward from the underside of thelatch. To engage the latch, the downward projecting male details aremated with a plurality of female receptacles 4004 provided for in thesecond end 4001 of the collar latch.

A plurality of tag loop channels 4002 are shown integral to the lowersecond end of the collar latch, the channels thereby dimensioned toaccept a tag loop 4003 therein, the tag loop, shown in the illustrationas a wire form being retained by the two opposed mated latch portionswhen the latch is secured.

The latch is closed by aligning the male projections 4005 with thefemale receptacles 4004, then pressing the two latch halved togethercause the latch block 3606 to depress, thus allowing the top first endof the latch to slide distal to the second lower end of the latch untilthe latch block returns to the non-depressed position. The latch isthereby locked and unable to be unlocked until the latch block 3606 isforceably depressed to that the first upper end of the latch can slidein a direction proximal to the second lower end of the latch, allowingthe male projections to disengage from the female receptacles.

FIG. 42 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

As previously described, the first upper end 4000 of the latch engagesand disengages from the second lower half of the latch 4001 by engagingor disengaging the male projections from the mating female receptacles.

A resilient identification tag loop 4200 is shown with ends comprisingenlarged sections designed to mate into a matching receptacle 4001integral to the second lower half of the latch. A resilient tag loop,for example, a tag loop molded of flexible nylon, is preferable over arigid loop material for two reasons, the first being that a resilientloop yields to pressure, the flexing thereby minimizing the potentialfor injury to the pet, and the second being that a resilient materialsprovides an improved level of sound dampening, minimizing the annoyinglyloud “jangling” of pet identification tags when compared to pet tagsaffixed to traditional leash D-rings.

FIG. 43 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

More specifically, as previously described, the first upper end 4000 ofthe latch engages and disengages from the second lower half of the latch4001 by engaging or disengaging the male projections from the matingfemale receptacles.

In the drawing, a tag loop is formed within the mold in which the secondlower latch 4001 is formed, with one end of the loop being integral tothe materials of the latch, and a second end formed with an enlarged end4300 that is inserted into a receptacle 4301 within the body of thesecond lower end, the second end being retained in the receptacle by themated first top portion of the latch.

Molding one end of the loop concurrently with molding the adjoined latchend may be preferable in instances when users do not want the tag loopand tags to easily separate from the latch, and further as a means ofreducing separate part costs and secondary assembly by either themanufacturer or user.

It should be noted that as an alternative, a separate material, such asa flexible cable with a swedged terminal end 4302 may be insert moldedinto the second lower end of the latch, thereby providing advantagessimilar to those just described.

FIG. 44 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an exploded view of avariation of an improved collar fastening device.

More specifically, the illustration shows a first upper end of the latch4400 affixed to a first collar end 4402, and matable with a second lowerpatch portion 4001 by engaging a plurality of male projections 4404 withfemale receptacles 4405 as previously described.

In many instances, it is preferable to increase the thickness, or depthof the first upper portion of the latch to provide for the installationof electronics, for instance, a module comprising a power source,processor, accelerometer, Bluetooth communication circuit or otherelectronic, electrical or electromechanical components.

In order to accommodate such functional electromechanical modules, atleast one embodiment of the present invention provides for integratingan enlarged cavity 4403 into at least one portion of the latch, therebycreating a slightly higher profile dimension 4401 of the respectivelatch portion.

FIG. 45 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of one half ofan improved collar with integrated electronics.

More specifically, one length of a collar 4501 is shown with anintegrally molded cavity 4403 sized to accept an electronics module4500, the size being determined by the dimensional requirements of themodule and related components.

Although the IoT devices in the pet industry, specifically pet activitytrackers and GPS pet locating devices are well known, those skilled inthe art will recognize that the communication range of such devices thatare attached to existing collars is limited because (a) the electronicscannot be optimally positioned and maintained in the desired positionrelative to the pet's neck, for the many reasons already discussed, and(b) that the animal's body, if positioned between the sending andreceiving devices, appreciably attenuates the communication signal,resulting in reduced communication range.

At least one embodiment of the present invention overcomes these twomajor problems in the art by (a) maintaining a prescribed position ofthe collar on the pet using the means previously described, and (b)optionally, integrating a coaxial antenna and and secondarily, a groundplane into a substantial length of the collar, the antenna beingconnected to the electronics module by means of a connector 4602 orsoldering, and the antenna length being at lease one quarter wave lengthof the communication signal. The antenna, having the benefit of being ofa length sufficient to traverse the animal's under neck, beside theneck, and in some cases wrapping to the top side of the pet's neckprovides substantially unobstructed line of sight for communicationsignals, not filtered or attenuated by the animal's body. Further, theintegrally molded antenna reduces the transmission power necessary toachieve the presently acceptable communication range, and therebyreduces the battery power requirements and/or increases the battery lifeof the product in use.

The advantages of a collar with integrally molded electronics modulecavity and antenna are novel and commercially and functionallysignificant, providing for higher efficiency performance at lower powerwhen compared to any commercially available consumer pet tracking orlocating electronics product.

FIG. 46 is an exemplary diagram illustrating top view of a collar endswith measuring indicia.

Properly sizing a traditional dog collar can be frustrating, and beingforced to select one of the limited number of adjustment positions oftenresults in a poor fit. Collars installed too loosely allow the pet topull its head through the collar, thereby removing it.

In the drawing, a more precise method is shown, illustrating a reversalof the long-standing tradition of trial and error sizing. By firstlocking together the mating ends of an under-the-neck latch, propermeasurement can then be made quickly and easily by wrapping a firstcollar end 4600 and a second collar end 4603 around the neck, crossingthe two ends. Inserting two fingers of a hand 4604 so that they fitsnugly under the wrapped collar ends ensures the preferred tightness.The proper sizing is instantly determined where the indicia 4602 on afirst collar end matches the indicia number 4601 of the second collarend.

It should be noted that the objective of determining the correct collarsize using indicia of at least one embodiment of the present inventionis to ensure that the latch is ultimately centered under the neck of theanimal. Therefore, the first collar end and the second collar end, andcorrespondingly the indicia provided thereon, are equally distant fromthe distal latch portions of the first collar length and second collarlength.

In the illustration, the matching indicia is the number “16”, in theexemplary drawing “16” representing that the circumference of the pet'sneck is “16” inches when the number 16 on both lengths of the collaralign. In other words, if the ends of the two lengths of collar wrappedfurther such that the numbers “14” were aligned, then the circumferenceof the neck would be 14 inches as indicated by the indicia. Therefore,in the illustrative example, number “16” indicates both the appropriatetotal length of the assembled collar, and will be where both collar endswill be cut and eliminated. By matching the indicia, the pet owner isensuring that once the keeper not shown is installed, the true andaccurate center pull location on the pet's posterior neck will have beenestablished. It should be noted that the indicia may be numbers,letters, color bands, changes in texture, or any other method of tactileof visual means whereby a match of the corresponding indicia on bothcollar ends can be readily determined.

FIG. 47A is an exemplary diagram illustrating cutting of opposed ends ofa collar at a preferred indicia.

As previously described, in the illustrative example, the preferredlength of the collar is 16 inches, as determined by the number “16”saligning with one another when both ends of the latched collar arewrapped around the animal's neck.

It should be noted that the keeper as described herein is not intendedto serve as the primary mechanism for attaching and removing the collarfrom the animal, but to serve as a permanent clasp to establish theproper length of the installed collar. An opposed latching means distalto the cut ends of the collar lengths is intended to serve as theprimary means to attach and remove the collar.

The drawing shows the use of scissors 4703 being used to cut the distalend of a first length of collar 4603 at the line indicating number 16.Further, a second illustration shows the use of scissors 4703 being usedto cut a distal end of a second length of collar 4603 at the lineindicating number 16. The two cuts having been made at the number “16”indicia result in both lengths of collar being substantially equal inlength as measured from the center of the latch that connects the twolengths, the latch being substantially centered under the neck of theanimal.

FIG. 47B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view through acut end of a first collar length and a termination device. In thedrawing, the cut end of the first collar length 4603 is inserted intoone slot in the keeper 4700, the cam lock lever 4701 having been movedto the unlocked position and opened to accept the first cut end. Forreference, a center pull D-ring 4702 is shown installed at theapproximate centerline of the keeper.

FIG. 47C is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view through acut end of a second collar length and a termination device. Morespecifically, the previously opened cam lever 4701 having been closedupon the cut end of the first collar length 4603 securedly retains thecut end within the keeper. Upon closing the cam lever 4701, the lowerend of the lever depresses the cut end of the collar againstfriction-enhancing gear teeth 4703 integral to the keeper.

Further, the process just described is repeated by inserting the cut endof a second collar length 4600 into the remaining open slot in thekeeper 4700, a second cam lock lever 4704 having been moved to theunlocked position and opened to accept the first cut end.

FIG. 47D is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view throughtwo collar ends retained in a termination device. Closing and lockingthe second cam lever 4704 completed the sequence, resulting in the cutends of both collar lengths 4600, 4603 being clamped and retained by therespective cam levers 4704, 4701 within the keeper 4700.

FIG. 47E is an exemplary diagram illustrating a centered collartermination device. More specifically, having secured both cut ends ofeach of two collar lengths to a keeper, it can be readily seen in theback view of the collar assembly 3700 that the just-installed keeper4700 is substantially centered on the collar assembly, and aligned withthe anterior collar portion and the identification tag loop 4003.

In a second side view, it can be seen that the installed assemblycomprises a collar first length 4603 and a collar second end 4600, bothbeing retained within the keeper 4700, and a center pull D-ring 4702positioned substantially centered with respect to the keeper and opposedcollar ends.

FIG. 48A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top view of an alternatecenter pull D-ring, collar ends with indicia and a termination means. Anovel double ended buckle 4800 is disclosed with a hingably attachedD-ring 4801 positioned substantially centered between the opposed buckleends. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is sometimespreferred to install a collar comprising collar lengths manufactured ofa traditional flexible material, for instance, nylon webbing. Further,it may be preferable to not require a customer to cut the ends of collarlengths, but to provide a means to center and secure a center pullD-ring without the required use of any tools, such as scissors.

Therefore, a first collar length 4802 is shown with indicia appliedthereon. After determining the indicia on the first collar lengthmatches with the indicia not shown on the already installed secondcollar length 4803, using the length determining method as taught inFIG. 46 , each end of each length of collar is threaded through the sloton each end of the buckle, the slot being proximal to the D-ring so thatthe preferred indicia aligns with the slot or other prescribed aligningdetail on the buckle.

The centering of the buckle 4800 and leash D-ring 4801 relative to thetotal length of the collar assembly is achieved by aligning the samepreferred indicia with the alignment features on each of the opposedslotted ends of the buckle.

FIG. 48B is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top and side view of analternate center pull D-ring and collar ends termination means. In thedrawing, opposed ends of a collar 4802, 4803 are inserted throughopposed ends of a strap buckle 4800 such that the opened D-ring 4801 ispositioned in the center of the pet's posterior neck, the opposed endsof the collar lengths being drawn through their respective buckle slotsto align the preferred indicia with the alignment features. Havinginserted the first end of the first collar length 4802 upward throughthe slot proximal to the D-ring 4801, the end is then threaded downwardthrough the slot distal to the D-ring as shown 4804, and pulled toremove slack material from the top surface of the buckle. Repeating theprocess just described on the second collar length completes theinstallation of the buckle and center pull D-ring.

FIG. 49 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a side view of a collartermination device with a D-ring retaining means. It is well known thatlarge rings projecting from a pet collar can be dangerous to the pet.The hanging rings can become tangled in tree limbs, fences or otherobjects that can project through the ring, causing the pet to becomeensnared. On the other hand, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat keeping a large open leash D-ring in a closed positionsubstantially reduces the probability that the pet will become ensnaredas a result of objects projecting through such ring. In the drawing, akeeper 4700 is shown with a first collar end 4603 having been terminatedtherein, and projecting therefrom.

A D-ring 4702 is shown, having been hingably rotated from its openposition. A detent 4900 is shown as a projection from, and integral tothe keeper 4700. A pet owner can swing the hingably attached D-ring to aclosed position by rotating it relative to the keeper to a position thatforcibly snaps past the detent 4900. In the position just described, theD-ring is held proximate to the collar first end 4603, therebyminimizing the open space between the keeper and D-ring through whichobjects can unwontedly project.

FIG. 50 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of acollar termination device with a D-ring retaining means and cam leverlocking means. Cam levers are well known to those skilled in the art,and are frequently used as a means to clamp strapping material afterpositional adjustment. Cam lever clamps are typically used on nylonwebbing that has ridges appearing axially throughout the webbing as aresult of the traditional weaving process. These ridges aid in providinginterference between the closed cam lever and webbing. On the otherhand, use of a relatively smooth-surfaced material, such as a petcollar, may require a more aggressive clamping and interferenceinterface between the smooth surfaced collar ends and cam lock. In thedrawing, a keeper 4700 is shown with a cam lever 4701 closed upon afirst collar end 4603. Gear teeth 4703 are shown on the cam lobe in aposition that is compressed against the collar material, and further thegear toothed inner surface of the keeper.

As a means of increasing the gripping strength of the keeper to collarend, additional gear teeth 5000 may be provided on the inside bottom ofthe keeper. By closing the cam lever upon the collar end, gear teeth onthe upper and lower surfaces of the collar end are penetrated by theopposed gear teeth, securely and permanently clamping the collar endwithin the keeper.

Further, as a means of maintaining the cam levers permanently in aclosed, clamped and locked position, an undercut 5001 is provided on theinterior of the keeper as shown. The closed cam lever 4701 is shown withthe edge of the lever distal to the cam hinge point 5002 being snappedbeyond the undercut, thereby being retained in the closed position bythe closed interference fit between the cam lever and keeper undercut.

FIG. 51 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of analternate center pull D-ring and cam lever locking means. In someinstances, it may be preferable to install a keeper 5100 on a continuouscollar length 5101, the collar length not being cut to be retained inthe keeper as previously described.

As a means for centering the center pull D-ring 5102 with the pet'sposterior neck, a cam lever 5103 is opened so that the keeper 5100 mayslide along the collar length 5101 to a centered position as determinedby the installer. Upon electing the centered position, the installerwill close the cam lever 5100 to retain the keeper, and correspondinglythe center pull D-ring 5102 in the centered position.

It should be noted that the D-ring 5102 is held within the keeper withthe portion of the D-ring that projects through the keeper does so onthe underside of the collar length 5101. The positioning of the D-ringon the underside of the collar length provides for a structure that moresoundly resists breakage in instances where a strong pet exerts a highforce against the leash. The D-ring, encircling the collar materialsensures that even with breakage of the keeper, the leash remainsattached to the collar.

FIG. 52 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a top and side view of analternate center pull D-ring. In instances where a continuous collarlength 5300 is preferably used, as opposed to two collar ends aspreviously described, the collar strap may be threaded through bothopposed loop holes of the buckle 5200 as shown, with the D-ring 5201projecting outward therefrom.

As can be appreciated, the drawing illustrates that the novel buckle andD-ring assembly may be slid along the length of the collar material tothe position where the D-ring is centered in the posterior neck area ofthe pet.

The process just described ensures that the D-ring is properly centeredon the back of the pet's neck as a center pull leash ring. FIG. 53 is anexemplary diagram 5300 illustrating the method of sizing and installinga pet collar. Fitting traditional pet collars typically requirestrial-and-error size adjustments, culminating with the fastening of thebuckle or latching means. Sizing a collar or at least one embodiment ofthe present invention begins with fastening the buckle or latching meansas illustrated in the first sizing step 5301. The unfastened ends of thelatched collar are then wrapped 5302 around the pet's neck approximatelywhere the collar will be installed. The wrapping continues until thelose ends 5303 of the collar cross. Pulling snugly 5304, the lose endsare held together with one hand, while two fingers of the second hand5305 are inserted under the collar lengths, thereby allowing the twolose ends of the collar to loosen relative to each other.

The collar ends now slightly loosened represent the preferred collarcircumference. By observing the indicia on the collar 5306, theinstalled can readily determine the specific point on both lose collarends where the specific indicia on a first lose end matches and alignswith the corresponding indicia on the second lose end. Having observedthe point at which the indicia match and align 5306, the collar isremoved so that the ends may be cut 5307 at the indicia matching pointfor installation into a keeper 5308. The proper sizing now having beendetermined and established, the latching means is disconnected 5309 sothat the collar can be installed on the pet, the installation ensuringthat the latching means is positioned substantially centered in thethroat area of the pet.

FIG. 54 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a front view of a collarlatching means with a pet identification tag retaining ring. Thecomponents of a typical assembly for a dog collar are well known,comprising a collar materials with a first end 5400 typically sewn topermanently attach one buckle receiver 5401 and a D-ring 5406 to which aleash hook 5408 can be removably attached. The opposed end of the collarmaterial 5402 is typically adjustably terminated into a second half of abuckle 5403.

As can be readily seen, the D-ring 5406 typically provides a secondaryfunction as a ring to which pet identification tags 5402 may be affixedby means of a split ring 5407. As preciously discussed, the use of aD-ring for both a leash connection and tag holder is not preferred, atleast one embodiment of the present invention teaching away from thislong-standing practice as a means to eliminate unnecessary collarrotation about the pet's neck each time a leash is attached, and as ameans to appropriately restrict the movement of the tags on an oversizedD-ring, thereby substantially reducing the loud and annoying noise ofmetal tags banging against the D-ring.

An improved buckle is shown with a designated tag loop 5405 beingintegrally molded as a projection from a first half of a traditionalbuckle 5401, through which the tag split ring can be inserted in orderto attach the tags 5404.

The illustration is not meant to be limiting, and a tag loop may befabricated as a buckle mold insert-molded cable or wire form, or as anopen-ended loop that would be closed and captured by the latching of twoparts of a buckle as previously described.

FIG. 55A is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of onevariation of an improved pet feeding station. In the drawing, a left petbowl 5500 and a right pet bowl 5501 are positioned atop a continuoussurface of a base 102 of an improved feeding station.

It should be noted that the left and right bowls are mirror images ofonce another, but the right and left bowls having shaped bottomssubstantially matching the geometry of the locating ridge 5503 of thebase platform may be (a) identically shaped, (b) of differentgeometries, and/or (c) of different or identical volumetric capacities.The feeding station top-level assembly therefore comprises the base 5502with a top surface at a fixed height above the feeding surface, forexample, the residential floor, and a plurality of pet bowls 5500, 5501which may be food bowls or water bowls removably attachable to the basetop surface.

FIG. 55B is an exemplary diagram showing a top view of one variation ofan improved pet feeding station. A left bowl 5500 and a right bowl 5501are shown sitting atop a base 5502 comprising a continuous top surface.In the drawing, the right and left bowls are substantially mirror imagesof each other. Further, as can be readily seen, the geometry of the newand novel bowls differ significantly fro all known prior art in thattheir animal-facing top rims 107 are generally positioned proximate tothe feeding animal, and further are generally aligned with the imaginaryarc 5506 through which a feeding pet's head will move towards the leftand right of the longitudinal axis of the pet's body while positioned inone location during feeding and drinking.

The bias of the bowls' front rims 5508 being generally arcuate relativeto the radius of the feeding animal's neck represents a significantimprovement over traditional multi-bowl systems because it supports amore natural ergonomic positioning of the rims closer to the feedinganimal thereby providing for easier food and water access by the animalpositioned at the front of the feeding station.

FIG. 55C is an exemplary diagram showing a front view of one variationof an improved pet feeding station. A left bowl 5500 and a right bowl5501 can be readily seen removably affixed to the top surface of afeeding station base 5502. A nominal ridge 5503 protruding upwardly fromthe top surface of the base is used to position and align the bowls withthe attaching means not shown.

Further, the top rim of the bowls at the front, or animal facing edge ofthe bowls 5508 is shown being lower than the distal rim of the bowlspositioned at the back edge of the feeding station. Ensuring that thefront rim is at an equal or lower elevation than all other parts of thebowl rim provides for the easiest possible access by the pet to food andwater contained in the bowls.

FIG. 55D is an exemplary diagram showing a right side view of onevariation of an improved pet feeding station. More specifically, theright side of the right bowl 101 of the feeding station assembly aspreviously described is shown positioned on the top surface of the base5502. The front, animal facing wall of the bowl 5504 is angled from thebottom of the bowl such that the top, animal-facing rim 5508 ispositioned as close to the animal as possible, providing for the easiestaccess to food and water.

As can be readily seen, the top rim 5508 of the front of the bowlextends horizontally towards the animal to a vertical plane 5504 that isnearer the animal than the animal-facing edge of the base 5502, ensuringthat no parts of the base structure interfere with the animal's accessto the bowls and their contents.

The configuration of the multi-bowl and base assembly of the feedingstation just described represents an entirely new and novel feedingstation configuration that solves many of the well known problems oftraditional feeding stations, namely providing for bowls of varyinggeometry that align the animal-facing edges of the bowls generally alongthe arcuate line created by a feeding animal's necks, and extending theanimal-facing edges of the top rims of the bowls towards the feedinganimal such that no parts of the base structure interfere with theanimal's access to the bowls and their contents.

FIG. 56A is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of amedium-size bowls variation of an improved pet feeding station. It iswell known to those skilled in the art that a puppy will have a smallerphysiology than when the puppy grows to a mature adult. To ensurecontinual ease of access to food and water while the puppy graduatesfrom shorter, lower capacity bowls to taller and higher volume capacitybowls, the bowl geometry of a plurality of different sized bowls issubstantially similar to the geometry of the positioning details of themounting top surface of a one-size-fits-all base.

Therefore, the drawing shows a medium capacity left bowl 5500 and amedium capacity right bowl 5501 removably attached to a standard base5502. The medium-sized bowls may be removed from the base, and replacedwith purpose-designed bowls of different front rim heights and volumecapacities.

FIG. 56B is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of alarge-size bowls variation of an improved pet feeding station. Morespecifically, a large capacity left bowl 5600 and a large capacity rightbowl 5601 are shown removably attached to the top surface of the samebase 5502 previously described as supporting two medium-sized bowls.

FIG. 56C is an exemplary diagram showing a perspective view of asmall-size bowls variation of an improved pet feeding station. It iswell known that physical size dimensions of small dogs, puppies ofmedium-sized dog breeds, and adult cats are substantially similarinsofar as the animals just described would all comfortably access foodand water from the same bowl and base configuration.

In the drawing, it can be readily seen that the right bowl 5603 and leftbowl 5602 are substantially smaller in size and capacity than thepreviously described medium-capacity and large-capacity sized bowls.Nevertheless, the small bowls 5602, 5603 comprise bowl bottom geometriessubstantially similar to the bowl bottom geometries of the medium andlarge bowls, thereby providing for interchangeability of bowl sizes uponthe same one-sized base 5502.

FIG. 56D is an exemplary diagram showing a side view of different sizeddogs and correspondingly the preferred bowl sizes interchangeablyattachable to the base of an improved pet feeding station. Morespecifically, a standard-sized base 5502 is shown with the outlines of aplurality of bowls positioned thereupon. Merely as an illustrativeexample, a dog of short stature is shown with the preferred short,limited capacity bowl size. The small dog and small bowl are paired 5604to provide for the best access to food and water for the small dog.Further, a dog of medium stature is shown with the preferred mediumsized and capacity bowl size. The medium dog and medium bowl are paired5605 to provide for the best access to food and water for the mediumdog. Still further, Further, a dog of large stature is shown with thepreferred large sized and capacity bowl size. The large dog and largebowl are paired 5606 to provide for the best access to food and waterfor the medium dog.

By changing the geometry of the bowls, it can be readily seen that atleast one embodiment of the present invention provides for variablecapacities of different sized bowls, although the wall angles and wallheights of the bowls change. As can also be noted, the base of all bowlsizes remain substantially the same geometry so as to be removably andinterchangeably attached to one standardized base structure.

FIG. 57 is an exemplary diagram showing perspective views ofmedium-sizes and large sized bowls affixed to a variation of a base ofan improved pet feeding station. At least one embodiment of the presentinvention is not meant to be limited to asymmetrical rectilinear shapedbowls, but includes as one variation conically shaped bowls. Morespecifically, a variation of a standardized base 5700 is shown withsubstantially horizontal bowl mounting surfaces not shown on the upperside of the base. In one variation, two identically shaped large bowls5701 are each removably affixed to a left and right mounting platformsof a standardized base. In another variation, the large bowls arereplaced by medium bowls 5702 which are each removably attached to theleft and right mounting platforms of a standardized base. In order tomaintain the appropriate heights of the front lip of the different sizedbowls, the height of the bowl varies.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the head and muzzlediameter of larger dogs is often much larger than the head and muzzlediameter of smaller dogs. Therefore, larger bowls must be sufficientlywade at both the top and bottom of the bowls to allow for easy access.As can be seen in the drawing, the conical angle of walls the largerbowls is less acute than the conical angle of walls the smaller bowls.The wider, less acute the angle of the walls of the larger bowlsprovides for substantially increased capacity for food and water withoutcreating an overly deep bowl that would frustrate a dog's ability toeasily reach food or water at the bottom of the bowl.

FIG. 58 is an exemplary diagram showing perspective views ofmedium-sizes and large sized bowls affixed to a second variation of abase of an improved pet feeding station. More specifically, a variationof a standardized base 5800 is shown with an opposed set of legsconnected by a bridge. In one variation, large bowls 5801 ofsubstantially rectangular design are removably affixed to the base. Inanother variation, small bowls 5802 replace the large bowls by removablyattaching to the same base.

It is important to note that the top mounting surface of the bowlsupporting points remain a fixed dimension from the floor surface.However, in the illustrative example just described, the front, animalfacing lip of the bowl, and the capacities of the various bowl sizes vanbe easily accommodated by changing the interior and exterior geometry ofthe bowls as would be immediately appreciated by those skilled in theart.

FIG. 59 is an exemplary diagram showing perspective views ofmedium-sizes and large sized bowls affixed to a variation of asingle-bowl base of an improved pet feeding station. It is sometimespreferred that water and food bowls be physically separated. Forinstance, many pet owners are advised to place a bowl containing food inthe feeding area only for a limited time as a training process to teachdogs or cats when to eat. On the other hand, it is well known thataccess to water should be provided for throughout the day. In suchinstances, a smaller food bowl 5902 may be fitted on a single bowl base5900, while a larger water bowl 5901 is fitted on a similarly-sizedstandardized base 5900. One advantage of removably affixing bowls to arelatively heavy, non-slipping, standardized base is that nearly emptybowls better resist being tipped over when dogs or cats apply lateralpressure to the bowls.

FIG. 60 is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of onevariation of the bowl and base assembly of an improved pet feedingstation. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, increasing thevertical dimension of the top rim of a large bowl relative to the fixedtop surface of the mounting base will increase capacity, but does notinherently raise the feeding area. However, to make the bottom of thefood or water bowl more accessible for larger dogs, the floor of thefood or water bowl is preferably raised.

Raising the floor of the inside of a bowl relative to the bottomexterior of the bowl can be accomplished by a variety of well-knownmeans, including the assembly of an inner bowl shell within an outerbowl shell, creating a vertical distance between the bowl bottom and thebottom of the food or water area.

Therefore, the drawing shown a standardized base 5502 with a left andright positioning ridges 5503 into which the bottom geometry of theexterior shell of the left bowl 6000 and right bowl 6001 will closelyengage. One means of removably attaching the food and water bowls to asubstantially flat surface of the base is the integration of a hightension magnet 6004 positioned within the exterior bowl shell, a moredetailed description of which is provided later. The bowl assemblyfurther provides for a left bowl inner shell 6002 and a right bowl innershell 6003, the inner shells just described comprising the food or watercontaining areas.

By aligning the top edges of the inner and exterior shells 6000 and6002, and 0601 and 6003 respectively, the inner shells 6002, 6003 beingof a shallower dimension compared to the exterior shells 6000, 6001, onewill immediately appreciate that the bottom of the food containing areahas been elevated above the top surface of the base 5502.

Therefore, instances where small capacity bowls are required for shorterstature animals, the distance between the top of the base and the bottomof the bowl inner shell will be minimized to keep the elevation of thefood area low. On the other hand, instances where high capacity bowlsare desired for larger dogs, it is preferable to raise the bottom of thefeeding area for easier access. In such instances where bowls areassembled for larger dogs, the vertical distance between the top of thebase and the bottom of the bowl inner shell will be increased to elevatethe food area.

By varying the vertical distance between the bowl base and the bottom ofthe inner food and water containing area of the bowl, multipleelevations and capacities of different sized bowls can be realized, allbowls having common base mounting geometry to as to interchangeable fiton one standardized base.

FIG. 61A is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of onevariation of the bowl and base assembly and method of removablyattaching a bowl to the base of an improved pet feeding station. Morespecifically, the components of a pet feeding station is showncomprising a base 5502 with a plurality of substantially horizontalclosed top surface 6101 upon which a plurality of bowls, one of which isshown 6102 that are placed upon the base top surface. As one means ofimproving sanitary conditions of a bowl platform, when compared totraditional raised food bowl platforms, the top surface 6101, which maybe a thermoformed material, is affixed to the base 5502 in such a mannerso as to form a completely sealed, water-tight top surface upon whichthe bowl 6102 will be placed.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a bowl sitting upon asubstantially flat raised surface is prone to being tipped over orotherwise displaced from its position by a dog or cat, unless of course,there is a means provided to removably attach the bowl to the raisedplatform. In the drawing a dotted line connects oval shaped linesindicating the approximate location of a high tensile strength magnetnot shown, but which is permanently installed on the underside of thebowl 6102. Further, under the thermoformed top surface 6101 of the base,a ferromagnetic plate 6100, for instance steel, being permanentlyaffixed to the base, provides for the attraction of the magnet.

The magnet provides for removably affixing a bowl to a substantiallyflat top surface, and further provides the benefit of not requiringmechanical attaching details that would inherently break the otherwiseflat top surface of the base. It is well known that holes, undercuts, orother geometries create “nooks and crannies” into which food orcontaminated water will fall, thereby creating an environment thatpromoted bacterial and mold growth.

Therefore, as one method of attaching a bowl to a raised base of afeeding station, all the while ensuring the flattest, most sanitary topsurface, a bowl with an installed magnet may attract to a ferromagneticmaterial positioned on the underside of a flat, sealed, and sanitarybase top surface.

The sectional view “AA” through the a assembly just described isillustrated in FIG. 61B. FIG. 61B is an exemplary diagram showing asectional view through a bowl and base assembly of an improved petfeeding station. First, is should be noted that a means of mechanicallyor magnetically securing a food or water bowl to a raised platform isrequired to resist the typical forces exerted upon a bowl by a feedingdog or cat. In the drawing, a dotted line 6109 signifies the verticalplane of the top rim edge 6106 of a typical bowl of at least oneembodiment of the present invention that is proximate to a feedinganimal. In other words, the bowls have a defined “front” and “back”, thefront being the side of the bowl facing the feeding animal. When eating,animals “push” the food with their tongue towards the back of the bowl,thereby creating a force vector FV substantially along the vector arrowas shown in the drawing.

Now then, those skilled in the art will appreciate that two major forcescombine to create the force vector, those being a front-to-back lateral“pushing” force, and the other being a counter clockwise rotationalforce about an interference point 6113 intended to resist thefront-to-back sliding lateral force just described. The use of “counterclockwise” is merely a reference when viewing the sectional view of thedrawing, and the same rotational force would be considered to beclockwise if viewing the bowl and base section from the opposite end ofthe feeding station assembly.

In the drawing, a base 5502 is shown, with a sectional view of the basematerial 6114 of the substantially horizontal bridge section suspendedbetween the distally positioned base legs. A ferromagnetic material 6100is shown encapsulated within the bridge material, however theferromagnetic material may be positioned within a designated spaceabove, or below the bridge material, so long as the ferromagneticpenetration is sufficiently attracted to a magnet affixed to the foodand water bowls.

A pet bowl is shown with an exterior structure 6104 and an interiorstructure 6106, the interior structure being a designated area that willcontain food or water. As can be readily appreciated, the top rims ofthe interior structure and exterior structure are aligned to as tocreate a single wall bowl structure where the interior and exteriorstructures are adjoined. Ultrasonic welding, adhesives, or mechanicallyinterlocking features may be used to adjoin the interior and exteriorstructures. The interior structure is therefore of a shallower depththan the exterior structure, a feature that provides for bowls ofvarious sizes and capacities to elevate the food area above the top ofthe base structure 102 as may be preferred.

A permanent magnet is shown 6107 permanently affixed to the bottom ofthe bowl. The position and pull force of the magnet are a factor of thedesired resistance to the rotational force applied as a component of theFV vector. The straight-up pull force of the magnet must exceed thelargest reasonable upward force that the bowl would be subjected tounder normal operating conditions, thereby ensuring secure but removableattachment between the bowl and base structure.

FIG. 61C is an exemplary diagram showing a sectional view through a bowlbeing removed from the base assembly of an improved pet feeding station.More specifically, a small locating ridge 6111 is positioned at theback, non pet-facing edge of the raised platform base. In addition toproviding a bowl locating point of reference, the short ridge provides astopping element for the bowl when the back lower edge of a food bowl6110 is pushed laterally backward by a feeding animal positioned infront of the bowl. The ridge therefore prevents the bowl from slidingfrom front to back in response to the lateral vector of the FV vectorpreviously described.

Therefore, the small ridge 6111 that engages the back edge of the bowl6110, together with a magnet positioned towards the front half of thebowl are sufficient to resist the counter clockwise rotational force andthe front to back lateral force to which the bowl will be subjectedunder normal use.

On the other hand, although permanent magnets exhibit significantresistance to straight-line pulling force, they can be positioned sothat the magnetic flux map allow for relatively easy separation from theferromagnetic material 6112 when subjected to a shearing force, forinstance, the forward, or clockwise rotation of the bowl in theillustration. IN other words, as the bowl 702 is lifted from itsposition against the locating ridge 6111 on the base, the magnetic forceis easily overcome, allowing for easy retrieval of the bowl from thebase structure.

FIG. 62A is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of anothervariation of the bowl and base assembly and method of removablyattaching a bowl to the base of an improved pet feeding station. Merelypresented as a variation to the raised platform and interchangeable bowlfeeding station previously described, a plurality of bowls 5802 areshown removeably attached to a base structure 5800. Bowls of varioussizes and capacities not shown may be used in place of the bowls shown.

FIG. 62B is an exemplary diagram showing an exploded view of anothervariation of the base assembly of an improved pet feeding station. Inthe drawing, a base 5800 with two substantially vertically projectingblades 5803 is shown. The blades are of such mechanical geometry as toprovide a tapered, secure fit with a mounting pocket area of the bowl.

FIG. 62C is an exemplary diagram showing a section view through the bowland base attachment means of an improved pet feeding station. As can bereadily seen in the section B-B, a blade 5803 extends vertically upwardfrom the cross bridge of a base structure 5800. An owner mounts the bowl5802 to the base by placing the pocketed area 5804 integral to the backedge of the bowl over the mating blade 5803. No other attachment meansis required since the blade-an-pocket structure adequately resists theFV forces exerted upon the bowl by a feeding animal.

FIG. 63 is an exemplary diagram showing a section view of one variationof a bowl to base attachment means of an improved pet feeding station.More specifically, the top surface of a raised platform 6300incorporates a slightly raised positioning ridge 6303 at thesubstantially back edge of the platform. The lower back radius of thebowl 6302 substantially matches the inside radius of the raiser ridge,thereby providing resistance to any front-to-back lateral forces exertedupon the bowl by a feeding animal.

Further, an interlocking male feature 6301 on the substantially frontedge of the bowl interlocks with a mating female feature on the front ofthe bowl. The interlocking feature provides for a mechanical resistanceto a counter clockwise rotational force that may be exerted upon thebowl by a feeding animal.

Although the interlocking male feature 6301 of the base creates one areathat may promote the growth of harmful bacteria and mold, the featureneed not extend the full width of the bowl, and may be easily cleaned bysimply sponging the area with a germicide soap, and rinsing the entirebase structure under a kitchen faucet.

To remove the bowl from the base, an owner applies a minimal upwardforce in a forward rotational movement as indicated by the remove arrow.This movement first separates the bowl from the mating detail on thesubstantially back edge of the base 6302, thereby allowing the bowl toslide slightly rearward, disengaging the interlocking features 6301 onthe front edge of the bowl.

FIG. 64 is an exemplary diagram showing a section view of anothervariation of a bowl to base attachment means of an improved pet feedingstation. As another variation of a means to removably attach a bowl 6401to a substantially horizontal, sealed and raised base structure 6400, acombination of a magnet 6401 and ferromagnetic material 6404 is used toresist rotational forces against the bowl by a feeding animal aspreviously described. Further, as an alternative to a raised ridge atthe substantially back edge of the base structure engageable with theback edge of the bowl as previously described, a simple pin-and-notch6402 configuration may be used. Although the drawing shows the pin as amale projection from the underside of the bowl 6401, and the notch as afemale feature of the top of the base 6400, these features may bereversed so that the pin projects upward from the base, and the notch isa female feature on the underside of the bowl. Either configuration asjust described provides for resistance to the front-to-back lateralforces that may be applied to the bowl by a feeding animal.

To remove the bowl from the base, an owner applies minimal upward forceon the back of the bowl in a forward rotational movement as indicated bythe remove arrow. This movement decouples the pin and notch engagement,and creates a shear force upon the magnet, thereby easily breaking themagnetic attraction between magnet 6403 and ferromagnetic material 6404located in the base.

FIG. 65 a is an exemplary diagram illustrating the skeletal structure ofa domesticated animal with a traditional food bowl. More specifically,the natural arc of the neck of a domesticated dog reaching for a foodbowl is shown. It is well known that domesticated cats and dogs sharethe genetic pool with their wild, carnivorous ancestors. These animalsare efficiently designed to eat captured prey from the ground. In aperpetual, misguided effort to vicariously impart human personalitiesupon their pet dogs and cats, humans interfere with nature's designs.

More specifically, humans consider that since they eat fromsymmetrically designed bowls, their pets should also, or perhaps using astandard dining bowl to feed their pets is merely a convenience.

Literature teaches us many variations of animal feeding bowl designs,the great majority of which point to their human bowl roots; they aregenerally symmetrical, have a top rim generally coincident with asubstantially horizontal plane parallel to the bowl bottom, and agenerally symmetrical perimeter wall extending between the bottominterior surface of the bowl and the top rim.

In the drawing, a standard food bowl of the design just described isshown 6500 positioned in front of a skeletal representation of one typeof dog 6500. All healthy dogs and cats have neck lengths generallydefines as the distance between a point 6501 located at or about wherethe cervical vertebrae meet the thoracic vertebrae near the animal'sshoulder.

As illustrated in the drawing, the animal's neck flexes at the shoulderpoint just mentioned, as well as throughout the cervical vertebrae andwhere the spine meets the skull, such that the dimension between theshoulder and mouth is intended to move in an arc 6502 in order to easilyreach food placed on the ground, in the illustration, the food being adog bowl 6503.

As can readily be seen the dog is able to reach the interior of theportion of the bowl closest to its feet, but is unable to reach theopposite side of the interior of the bowl 6504 without moving closer tothe bowl, or lowering the shoulder point 6501 by crouching of bendingits front legs.

Further, the majority of bowls have a traditionally small radius formedbetween the interior side-wall and bottom 6505 as illustrated. Theseradii form areas that are oftentimes smaller than an animal's muzzle,thereby preventing the animal from easily accessing food contained inthese bowl bottom “nooks and crannies”. Food remaining in these areasafter the animal eats foster bacteria growth, and attract unwantedinsects and vermin.

It should be noted that some bowls have larger radii between the sidewalls and bowl bottom, but the increased radii are generally arbitrarywith regard to feeding efficiently, and are more reasonably attributedto lower cost manufacturing process that use less material, or that aremore easily formed when large radii are introduced.

FIG. 65 b is an exemplary diagram illustrating the skeletal structure ofa domesticated animal with an improved food bowl. More specifically, animproved feeding bowl 6506 is shown with a line 6507 indicating animproved geometry of the interior food surface of the improved bowl.

As one means of improving animal access to food in a manner thataccommodates the animal's skeletal structure, the curve of the foodsurface 6507 is therefore more closely aligned with the arc 6508 formedby the natural neck-bending movement used by dogs and cats whennaturally eating prey.

More specifically, not shown is the fact that animals also flex theirnecks at the point where the cervical spine meets the skull. The arcformed by the animal's nose when flexing the scull as just described isof a smaller radius than the arc 6508 shown. Therefore, the surfacegeometry of the food surface 6507 of the bowl of at least one embodimentof the present invention, anticipating a secondary arc radius, isfurther modified based on converging radii, as may be represented by aportion of a traditional drawing tool, the French Curve.

Those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate that the apparentcenter of the bottom of the interior food surface is not co-located withthe apparent center of the bowl structure, the center of the foodsurface therefore being positioned closer to the feeding animal than thecenter of the bowl structure. This provides for a more natural access tofood, and further eliminates the hard-to-reach areas of traditional foodbowls as previously described FIG. 65 b , 6504, 6505.

As will become more apparent, the food bowl of at least one embodimentof the present invention therefore provides for a feeding surfacecorrelating more closely to the normal range of motion exhibited byfeeding carnivores, eliminates or substantially reduces inaccessibleportions of the interior of the bowl thereby reducing inaccessible foodthat attracts insects and vermin, and provides for substantiallyincreased radii between the bowl bottom and sidewalls that can reducemanufacturing tooling costs.

Notwithstanding the benefits of the improved feeding surface of a foodbowl, it is sometimes preferred to slow the actual rate of consumptionin order to avert the onset of certain medical conditions as previouslydescribed.

FIG. 66 a is an exemplary diagram illustrating the size of dry kibblefood relative to coin sizes. More specifically, carnivores can exhibitaggressive eating habits such as food gulping that can result inlife-threatening conditions. In the wild, carnivores typically dine onnatural food that is moist. The higher moisture content can aid ineasing consumption, provide increased satiation and be easier to swallowwhen compared to the ubiquitous dry food currently manufactured and soldfor dogs and cats.

Special consideration should be given by pet owners to method of slowingthe rate of consumption of manufactured food to thereby decrease theincidence of GDV and food aspiration.

In the drawing, two coins are shown, a US dime 6603 and US quarter 6600.As a means to illustrate the wide range of nugget sized of manufactureddry food, one piece of one exemplary dry food 6601 is shown next to thequarter, the quarter providing a dimensional point of reference.

In the same drawing, two additional pieces of dry food are shown, withone piece 6602 being a dimension that is approximately 1/10th of thesize of the dime 6603.

By comparing the two food nuggets 6601, 6602, one can readily see thatthe larger nugget is estimated to be approximately 20 times the size ofthe smaller nugget. Further, it can readily be seen that the largernugget has sharp, jagged edges compared to the smaller, well-roundednugget.

FIG. 66 b is an exemplary diagram illustrating the size of dry kibblefood relative to other kibble sizes. As a further comparison of thesmall nugget 6602, the drawing 6604 shows six additional nuggetsrepresenting just six of the literally hundreds of nugget brands andsizes. Methods intended to slow consumption of dry food shouldreasonably consider the size variations of nuggets. Although not shown,the significant body of art related to protrusions or obstacles withinthe feeding bowl teaches the functional design requirements of suchprotrusions or obstacles being the size of a dog's or cat's snout, ormuzzle. This teaches away from food kibble size being the driving designparameter for devices intended to slow food consumption, and disregardthe vagaries in food nugget differences that can actually interfere withthe intended functionality of the art.

It should be noted that in some teachings, the space between protrusionswould be insufficient to accommodate the large nuggets just described,while allowing the small nuggets to fall so deeply between protrusionsthat it remains unreachable by animals with short tongues—the onlymethod they have to extract food from between protrusions. Further, thecurrent body of art teaches protrusions that are largely ofnon-resilient construction that can cause irregularly sized or shapednuggets to become lodged between or around the protrusions, the artremains silent as to intended functionality being useful when feedinghighly irregular shapes and sizes of nuggets.

FIG. 66 c is an exemplary diagram illustrating the two variations ofcanned dog food. By comparing the consistency of the wet canned food6605, 6606 to the dry kibble nuggets just described, it can be readilyseen that wet food can be messier, and leave considerably more residueand un-eaten food bits stuck to the food surface. As can furtherobserved in the exemplary examples of just two of the hundreds ofversions of canned dog and cat food, consistency and “chunkiness” variesconsiderably even between canned food, with one version 6605 being of a“mashed potato” consistency, and the other 6606 being more of a chunky“meat stew” consistency.

The current body of art related to devices intended to slow foodconsumption teaches away from the use of canned food since use of canneddog and cat food for obvious commercial reasons, those being that anowner would be required to first “pack” the canned food between oraround protrusions or obstacles, then after the animal finishes eating,would then be required to clean the un-eaten food and wet food residuefrom in and around each obstacle. Therefore, suppliers of such productsfocus general recommendations only on the use of dry food nuggets,further remaining silent on issues related to nugget size as justmentioned.

Skilled artisans will immediately appreciate that the body offood-slowing art fails to solve the problems just described, and in somecases cause or exacerbate feeding problems, and will further appreciatethe device of at least one embodiment of the present invention thatpreferably slows food consumption while accommodating all of the varioussizes, shapes and consistencies of dry, moist or wet dog or cat foods.

FIG. 67 is an exemplary diagram illustrating three views of an improvedfood bowl 6700. In the drawing, the top view of the bowl shows asubstantially circumferential perimeter, not unlike traditional roundbowls. The bowl of at least one embodiment of the present invention alsocomprises a top rim 6702, and an interior food surface 6701 thereinproviding a reservoir for holding food.

Deviating from traditional animal food bowls not shown, but comprising asubstantially concave or recessed food surface of substantiallysymmetrical geometry about the centerline of the bowl, it can be readilyseen that the centerline of the approximate bottom food surface 6704 isoffset to the front of the bowl relative to the actual center of thebowl structure 6703. The function behind the offset, and the advantagesthereof, will soon become known.

Now, in the side view, the dotted line 6707 indicating one view of theinterior food surface, shows a sharper drop into the bowl on the front,while a longer, sweeping arc as it rises to the back side. Consistentwith the correlation to an animal's natural neck arc, the deeper frontcorrelates to the ease with which an animal can reach its mouth closerto the ground on the proximal side of the bowl, and less ease withreaching food at the same level when the food is on the distal side ofthe bowl.

As can be realized in this view, the long sweep of the back end of thebowl, extending from the higher rim 6706, moves the actual centerline6704 of the bottom of the interior bowl to a point closer to the animalwhen compared to the actual center of the bowl exterior 6703.

It should be noted that the distance of the actual offset between theinterior center and center of the exterior structure is not a defineddistance, and may change depending on the overall dimensions of thebowl, as well as the intended type and size of animal for which the bowlis designed. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theoffset of at least one embodiment of the present invention represents anew and novel positioning of food that corresponds more closely to acarnivore's natural head and neck movements when compared totraditional, symmetrically structured food bowls.

It should also be noted that the front end of the top rim 6705 ispositioned at a distance above the bottom edge of the bowl when comparedto the top rim 6706 at the back end of the bowl. The new and novelinvention positions the food in a bowl wherein the natural feedingaction tends to push food from the front, to the back of the bowl, wherethe animal reaching for food at the back of the bowl more easily ingeststhe food since it is higher along the natural neck and head arc.

FIG. 68 is an exemplary diagram illustrating three views of an improvedround food bowl with a food obstacle. In the drawing, a food bowl 6700of at least one embodiment of the present invention is shown with a foodobstacle 6800 introduced into the interior of the food containing area.The obstacle is intended to separate food into a plurality of troughswithin the food area, thereby requiring an animal to separately extractfood from a multitude of discrete food partitions. This requirementachieves the objective of discouraging the dangerous practice of foodgulping, and helps minimize food aspiration.

At least one embodiment of the present invention further solvespreviously described problems, namely obstacles not accommodatingdifferent dimensions of dry food nuggets, not accommodating wet foods,and un-reachable food resulting in unsanitary conditions that attractinsects and vermin.

In consideration of the above, it can be immediately seen that theobstacles are uniquely arranged as terraces 6801, and/or crests andtroughs with the major longitudinal axis of the terraces and troughsarranged substantially perpendicular to the axis now shown, but whichaxis runs from the front to the back of the bowl. The bottom of theterraces and troughs, as shown in the imaginary line 6802 in the sideview of the drawing, generally follows the interior geometry of thenovel food surface as previously described.

More specifically, either as a component of the formation of the foodsurface 6803, or an insert 6804 placed in communication with a curvedstructure approximating the desired food surface of at least oneembodiment of the present invention as shown in the sectional view, itis readily apparent that the obstacles extend substantially from thefront of the bowl, to the higher portion of the food surface arc at theback of the bowl. This ensures that as the animal inherently pushes foodaway from them, as their head and tongue extend from the natural arc aspreviously described, the intended consumption-slowing function willcontinue to perform as intended even as food is pushed away onto higherlevels, and into higher-positioned troughs and terraces.

Obstructions arranged in a pattern generally perpendicular to thedirection an animal would naturally push food while eating aresubstantially more effective in extending the time required to consume aspecified volume of food when compared to troughs with a primary axisparallel to the front-to-back axis of the bowl. In such a non-preferredarrangement, the animal would have the ability to gulp or lap up foodquickly simply be cleaning out each trough by running their head andtongue from front to back in a natural movement, thereby cleaning outeach trough with a minimum of effort, and in a minimum of time.

Therefore, while the troughs, crests and terraces just described rungenerally perpendicular to the major front-to-back axis of the bowl, thespecific orientation is not meant to be limiting, and that variationsnot shown, such as chevron configurations, basket-weave configurations,or angles of the obstacles relative to the front-to-back axis of thebowl ranging from an acute angle relative to the front of the bowl, toan obtuse angle relative to the front of the bowl maybe used, so long asthe front-to-back pushing of food by the animal inhibits the animal'suse of troughs as furrows from which it can quickly gulp or scoop food.

It should be further noted that the geometric shape of the food surface6803, the terraces and troughs of the insert 6804, or the preciseorientation of the obstacles relative to the front-to-back axis of thebowl are not meant to be limiting. These dimensions are a function ofthe size of, and neck length of various animals, and additionally afunction of the food an owner intends to feed their animal. Therefore,there can be more or fewer obstructions, obstructions placed furtherapart or closer together, or obstructions that have a height dimensionthat is greater or smaller than shown, all without deviating from thespirit or intention of the novel function provided by at least oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 69 is an exemplary diagram of one version of an improved food bowl.More specifically, the drawing shows a food bowl 6900 of at least oneembodiment of the present invention as a rectilinear variation, thusretaining all of the foregoing beneficial improvements previouslydescribed, but incorporated into a rectilinear top rim 6701 andstructure, rather than a circumferential structure.

One will immediately see that the approximate centerline of bottom ofthe food surface 6902, as measured between the front and back of thebowl, is offset towards the front of the bowl as previously described.

Further, the variation of the improved food bowl comprises a top rim6906 at the front of the bowl, and a top rim 6905 positioned at the backof the bowl, the top rim at the back of the bowl being positioned at adimension from the bottom of the bowl that is larger than the dimensionof the front rim.

In order to follow the natural neck and head arc of an animal feedingfrom the improved bowl, the feeding surface, as indicated by the dottedline 6904 shown in the side view, the arc of the feeding surface towardsthe back of the bowl must accommodate a longer sweep that lifts the foodto a higher position more aligned with the position of the animal'smouth as it extends its neck and head further toward the back of thebowl.

In order to solve one previously discussed problem with traditionalfeeding bowls, the radii 6903 that create the curved feeding surfacebetween the interior side walls of the bowl, and the bottom foodsurface, are increased to a dimension such that easy access by animalswith wide muzzles is maintained, and so that food is easily accessible,and therefore does not collect and create unsanitary conditions in the“nooks-and-crannies”. It will be further appreciated that the largeradii of the entirety of the interior food surfaces of the improved bowlare all maintained as a generally larger dimension when compared tointerior radii of traditional food bowls, thereby making it easier forthe bowl to be rinsed or cleaned.

FIG. 70 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an isometric view of animproved rectilinear food bowl with an insert comprising food obstacles.In the drawing, an improved food bowl 7000 is of a generally rectilinearfootprint upon a floor surface not shown, comprises a lower top rim 7002towards the front edge of the bowl, and a higher top rim 7001 towardsthe back edge of the bowl, the different heights from the bottom planeof the bowl being responsive to the natural neck and head arcexemplified by a dog or cat eating from the bowl.

An insert 7005 comprising food consumption obstacles is shown positionedwithin the interior surface of the bowl, the insert therefore conformingto the interior food bowl geometry as previously described. Although theinsert is shown being retained within the interior surface of the bowlby a front latch and a back latch 7006, the latches are shown merely asone exemplary example of many possible mechanical and electromechanicalmeans of removably retaining one component in communication with anothercomponent, those being electromagnets, mating detents and posts on themating parts, edges of a resilient insert being retained under theinside edge of an outer bowl shell, mating hook and loop fasteningsystems, or any other number of removable fastening or mating devices ormechanisms well known to those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the form and method of retaining an obstacle insert withinthe interior feeding area of a pet food bowl are not meant to belimiting, and any appropriate method or device that retains an obstacleinsert within the improved food bowl may be used without deviating fromthe object of at least one embodiment of the present invention.

Now, it can be readily seen that the insert 7006 comprises a pluralityof obstacles 7004 that may further comprise terraces or troughs with aprimary longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of thefront-to-back centerline of the bowl, the orientation of the terracesand troughs intended to create a plurality of food retaining areas. Therequirement of an animal to separately remove food from each foodretaining area, either separated by terrace-like structures on the backwall as the surface transitions from substantially horizontal in thebowl bottom, to a more vertical orientation along the back surface, orseparated by troughs, provides for slower food consumption, andtherefore acts to diminish or eliminate the previously describedproblems associated with good gulping.

Further, sidewalls 7004 are shown on the obstacle insert, therebyproviding for complete coverage of the food surface geometry of theimproved food bowl by the insert. The full and complete coverage of thebowl interior by an insert is a preferred method of ensuring that foodis not accidentally repositioned to the space between the insert andbowl by the animal's act of eating.

Therefore, the entire obstacle being a single food surface, theremovable insert, preferably being of a slightly resilient andbacteria-inhibiting material such as silicone generally of a Shore Arange of 40 to 60, can be easily removed and cleaned. The resiliencyprevents food particles from becoming lodged into or otherwise retainedby the rigid protrusion food obstacles taught by traditional slow foodconsumption products, and further provides for sanitation by hightemperature washing systems such as a dishwasher.

It should be noted that the materials just mentioned are not meant to belimiting, and rigidly formed materials may be used provided the obstaclesizes and positioning of obstacles upon the insert provide the preferredfunction of at least one embodiment of the present invention asdescribed.

FIG. 71 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view through atypical insert with integral obstacles. More specifically, a series ofterrace-like and trough-creating structures 7101 extending substantiallyupward or outward from the bottom portion of the insert 7100 into theinterior food space of an improved food bowl are shown. The positioningof each trough or terrace relative to the other as indicated bydimension “Y”, and the dimension that each terrace or crest betweentroughs extends inward into the food area “X” are not arbitrary, andchange based on a plurality of factors as previously described.

Merely by example, if dry food nuggets of the type 6601 of FIG. 66 a .are being fed to an animal, the dimensions just mentioned will beconsiderably larger than the dimensions required to appropriatelyseparate food containing areas for dry nuggets of the smaller size 6602of FIG. 66 a.

FIG. 72 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one variation of animproved food or water bowl. More specifically, a pet bowl 7200 is shownwith a defined first bowl wall surface 7205 proximate to a feedingdomesticated animal, referred to as the “bowl front”, and a top rim 7201with a dimension between the top rim and substantially horizontal planeof the bowl bottom that varies from a smaller dimension at the bowl fromcompared to a larger vertical dimension towards the back of the bowl.

A water line 7202, indicated by a dotted line, is shown as a means toapproximate the location of the full capacity of the bowl, the waterline being substantially parallel to the bowl bottom. As can be readilyseen, the rim 7201 is substantially above the water line towards theback of the bowl, but slightly above the water line at the front of thebowl.

As a grabbing feature, a contrasting surface 7203 is shown proximate tothe back wall of the bowl. Now, it should be noted that the contrastingsurface may comprise various materials and/or configurations, any andall of which provide novel function never before incorporated in a petbowl.

As one variation, the contrasting surface 7203 is located above thewater line 7202 as a means to allow a human to grasp the bowl whenpicking up an empty bowl from the feeding surface, placing a full bowldown upon a feeding surface, or moving the bowl about. Further, thelocation of the contrasting surface, being located above the water line,provides for handling of the bowl by the owner without the necessity ofplacing a hand, or any parts of the hand into the area of the bowltraditionally containing water or food. By eliminating the necessity ofplacing the hand within the food or water area, the owner is preventedfrom soiling their hands by immersing hands or fingers in water or food,either before or after the pet has fed or drunk from the bowl.

As those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate, this new andnovel feature promotes a healthier and more sanitary condition for bothowner and pet. The contrasting surface 7203 it not limited to theillustration as shown, and may therefore comprise a material with ahigher friction surface compared to the smooth, bacteria-preventingsurface of the bowl, a contrasting geometry that provides an enhancedgripping and carrying features, a contrast with the interior surface orexterior surface or geometry of the bowl, or any combination ofmaterials and geometry on the interior or exterior of the bowl, all ofwhich would be positioned above the bowl water line.

FIG. 73A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl with a convexprotrusion on the interior of the wall surface. More specifically, asection of the back wall of a pet bowl is shown with a top rim 7201, aninterior surface 7204, a “water line” 7202 representing the horizontalplane of the filled capacity of the pet bowl, and a portion of theinterior surface of the bowl that is protruded 7301 toward the bowlinterior and relative to the surrounding bowl surface, thereby providingfor an improved gripping surface on the interior of the bowl.

In particular, it should be noted that the new and novel functionalfeatures of at least one embodiment of the present invention provide foran improved gripping surface, and correspondingly, improved handling ofa pet bowl above the water line 7202, thereby allowing the owner tohandle the bowl without putting their hands or fingers into the regionof the bowl that contains, or previously contained, food or water.

FIG. 73B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand placement on a foodbowl with a convex protrusion on the interior of the wall surface. Onehand 7300 of the pet owner is placed on a portion of the back wall 7203of a pet bowl, with the distal end of the thumb 7205 positioned over andaround the protruded gripping surface. As can be readily seen, the thumblocated on the interior of the bowl remains above the water line 7202,and therefore does not contact food or water contained in the bowl. Toaid in single-hand lifting of the bowl, a plurality of fingers 7304 ofthe hand are placed against the outside surface 7303 of the bowl,contacting the bowl at a position lower than the position of the thumb,thereby providing for the appropriate leverage required to maintain thesubstantially horizontal plane of the water line throughout the liftingand handling processes. The gripping surfaces as just described are ofsuch geometry that they can be inexpensively and easily formed usingprogressive die stamping, or a variety of thermoforming processes.

FIG. 74A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl with convex and concaveportions of the wall surface that facilitate handling of the bowl withone hand. As one variation to the gripping surface detail justdescribed, the outer wall of a pet bowl is shown with a portion of thewall positioned above the water line 7202 shaped to form a grippingmeans to allow for lifting and moving with one hand. More specifically,the outer wall geometry above the water line 7202 and below the top backrim 7201 is formed to create a portion of the wall 7401 projectinginwardly towards the bowl interior. Further, the wall is formed toreverse the inwardly protruding section to form an outwardly protrudingportion 7402, together which form an effective gripping surface.

FIG. 74B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand 7300 placement on afood bowl with convex and concave portions of the back wall structure.The hand of a pet owner is positioned upon the top rim of the bowl withthe thumb 7305 placed against the inside wall, and the distal end of thethumb 7305 wrapping over the inwardly protruding formed section of thewall as previously described. Further, a plurality of fingers 7304 areplaced upon the exterior wall surface, specifically engaging theexteriorly protruding section of the bowl surface geometry, therebyproviding for the appropriate leverage required to maintain thesubstantially horizontal plane of the water line 7202 throughout thelifting and handling processes. The gripping surfaces as just describedare of such geometry that they can be inexpensively and easily formedusing progressive die stamping, or a variety of thermoforming processes.

FIG. 75A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl with a convexprotrusion on the exterior of the wall surface. As yet another variationof the gripping surfaces previously described, the novel grippingsurface is positioned on the bowl surface above the water line 7202 suchthat the handling portion of the bowl does not come into contact withfood or water contained within the bowl.

More specifically, a gripping surface 7501 is positioned between the toprim 7201 of the substantially back wall of the bowl and the water line7202. As a variation to the inwardly protruding detail as described FIG.73A, the protrusion is on the wall surface opposed to the inner bowlsurface 7203.

FIG. 75B is an exemplary diagram illustrating placement of a hand 7300on a food bowl with a convex protrusion on the exterior of the wallsurface. As is readily seen, the thumb 7305 of the hand is placed on thesubstantially straight inner wall of the bowl, positioned between thetop rim 7201 and the water line 7202 such that the thumb will not engagewith water or food contained in the bowl.

To aid in gripping the bowl, a plurality of fingers 7304 are positionedto engage with the outwardly protruding wall surface, and preferably asa point beyond the thickest part of the protrusion, proximate to thebowl bottom. The use of the thumb on the inside of the bowl, togetherwith the fingers under the protruded gripping surface no the exterior ofthe bowl provide for an improved non-slip surface that further providesan advantageous leverage allowing an owner to grip, lift and otherwisemanage a bowl containing food or water.

The gripping surfaces as just described are of such geometry that theycan be inexpensively and easily formed using progressive die stamping,or a variety of thermoforming processes.

FIG. 76 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a representative handremoving an improved water or food bowl from a purpose-designed elevatedfood or water bowl stand. In many cases, it is preferred that the bowlis retained by various means to prevent the pet dog or cat from pushingand moving the bowl while eating. The drawing shows a bowl base 7605which supports one or more food bowls. The bowl is retained upon thebase by various means, including but not limited to a detachablemechanical interconnect or magnet 7603, and further a top surface of thebase with a raised portion 7604 that substantially follows the perimeterof the bowl, thereby encircling at least the back of the bowl. Todisengage the bowl from the elevated perimeter top surface of the base,the owner places a hand 7300 upon the bowl with the thumb 7600 beingplaced around the lifting feature located on the inner surface 7203 thebowl, but above the water line 7202. The owner further places aplurality of fingers 7601 on the exterior surface of the bowl, therebyallowing the fingers and thumb to pinch against the lifting means,providing for an advantageous leverage to counterbalance a bowlcontaining food or water. To remove the bowl from the base, the bowl islifted in the direction shown, a first movement that lifts the bowlabove the encircling raised portion of the base, and at the same time,detaching the attaching means.

As can be appreciated, in order for the top rim 7201 of substantially aback portion of the wall of the bowl to be sufficiently above the waterline 7202, the rim rises from the lower elevation at the bowl front7602, towards the substantially back portion of the bowl where onevariation of a lifting means is positioned.

FIG. 77A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a sectional view of aportion of the back wall of a food or water bowl, above the water line,with a high friction material applied to the inner surface of a bowlwall. As yet another variation of an improved lifting means, a highfriction surface material 7700 is positioned on the interior surface7203 of the bowl preferably between the top substantially back rim 7201and the water line 7202, thereby preventing the fingers of the grippinghand to contact food or water contained in the bowl.

It should be noted that the high friction surface may comprise a smoothmaterial such as a low durometer silicone overmolded on a thermoformedbowl, or a molded or stamped surface containing a plurality of smallconcave or convex shaped domes, such as dimples on a golf ball. Further,the high friction surface may be applied to the bowl interior at alocation where the thumb would preferably engage with the inner surface,or to the exterior surface of the bowl preferably where the fingers ofthe hand would engage the bowl exterior, or both on the inner and outerhandling surfaces of the bowl.

FIG. 77B is an exemplary diagram illustrating hand placement on a foodbowl with a high friction material applied to the inner surface. As canbe readily seen, a thumb 7305 of a hand 7300 engages a high frictionsurface of the bowl interior, the surface being positioned below the toprim, but above the water line 7202. The fingers 7304 being positioned onthe outer surface of the bowl provide an opposing force to the thumb,and when pinched, cause the thumb to forceably engage the high frictionsurface, thereby allowing the hand to lift the bowl without the thumbslipping on the inner surface.

As yet another variation, the improved gripping surface as justdescribed may be used on combination with the surface geometryvariations as described in (FIGS. 73A-75B).

FIG. 78 is an exemplary diagram showing a traditional food distributionchannel, and an improved distribution channel. A traditional pet fooddistribution channel 7800 is shown comprising the well-known chainextending from a food producer, to a wholesaler, to a retailer, andultimately to a consumer who feeds the pet food to their pet. Variationsof this model provide for the wholesaler to also be the retailer, or adistributor that can replace the wholesales. Additionally, a distributormay also act as a retailer.

The distribution model just described necessarily separates the pet fromdirect communication between a food manufacturer and the consumer. Inother words, the up-line food producers or distributors do not have anydirect or real-time knowledge of the actual amount of food consumed bythe pet.

Because of this inherent separation between actual pet food consumptiondata and the up-line entities' ability to track it, the up-line mustdepend on various means of gathering market data 7801 through thedifferent entities within the channel. This data collection isunreliable and seldom complete or comprehensive. The lack of precisemarket knowledge by the up-line entities leads to unnecessary inventorycosts, inaccurate production planning, and an inability to track theactual consumers of the food in the event a food recall is warranted.

In the drawing, the producer is in direct communication with theconsumer, allowing the consumer to order and pay for pet food throughthe improved system. The minimum number of entities handling the foodproduct between producer and consumer is reduced to one, namely, theentity responsible for order processing and logistics.

A new and novel device never before available to the pet food industry,a pet feeding device 7804 measures the precise daily amount of food thatshould be eaten, or that is eaten by the pet. Further, the device andthe network not shown, but upon which the device is a client may storedaily consumption data for each individual pet, compute the averagedaily consumption, and communicate the data directly to the producer.

Those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate the economic andmarketing value provided for by the knowledge of precisely what petanimal is eating what quantity of food each day. Namely, the actual petconsumption 7803 is computed based on data received from sensors affixedto, in association with, or integrated into the feeding and wateringbowls. The data is provided for in real time, or at a minimum, within a24-hour time frame, thereby informing the up-line of the actual foodamount consumed by each unique animal within a 24 hour day.

By eliminating the normally elastic and inefficient up-line entitiesthat reside in traditional distribution channels from the improvedsystem of at least one embodiment of the present invention, for thefirst time, producers may have access to the actual consumption volumeof each product that may be fed to the pet. Geographically broad, yetprecise based on individual pet consumption data as provided for by atleast one embodiment of the present invention represents a new level ofmarketing intelligence previously unavailable to up-line links in thetraditional distribution channels.

FIG. 79 is an exemplary diagram showing the operational flow chart of animproved sales and distribution channel. It is well known in theindustry that no industry-wide means exist whereby producers or up-lineentities precisely know how quickly a pet will consume a given portionof their food, nor when the production of more food is required prior toexhaustion of that particular food throughout the distribution channel.The consequence of the inefficiencies require producers to produce morethan is actually estimated so that there is a certain volume of eachbrand of food stored throughout the distribution channel. Excessinventory throughout the channel ties up valuable working capital, andincreases the ultimate consumer cost of the food.

Not shown, at least one embodiment of the present invention provides fora pet owner to enter into a database a profile of their pet, the profileincluding such unique identification data such as age, weight, andactivity level of the animal for which they intend on purchasing food.Thereafter, at least one embodiment of the present invention providesfor each pet owner to initiate a food order 7900, then select the foodtype and/or brand 7901 of food from a list of available pet foodspreviously entered into a database. In some instances, it may bedesirable that a consumer be provided the opportunity to create acustomized formulation of pet food 7902. In such instanced, a consumermay, for instance, select the kibble size, wheat-based or gluten free,high or low protein, and flavor, for instance, chicken, beef, or salmon.

After selecting the food type, the consumer may select the preferredfrequency 7903 for receiving delivery of the food, for instance, fooddelivery recurring each week, each month, or at some user-definedperiod. It would be appreciated that a longer duration betweendeliveries would necessarily cause the producer to ship larger packagesof food intended to last at least until the next scheduled delivery. Onthe other hand, they will appreciate that more frequent deliveries ofsmaller packages would provide enhanced control over theproduction-to-consumption period, an important element in consumerrelationship, especially in instances where a food recall may berequired.

Now the previously described database having analyzed the average dailyportion of food consumed by each pet performs an algorithmic functionthat incorporates the food type 7901, 7902 and delivery frequency 7903to compute the approximate food amount to be shipped 7904 so that thefood portion will last at least the same number of days as the deliveryfrequency as selected by the consumer.

Optionally, the consumer may select the preferred method of shipping7905 depending on the desired cost/time tradeoffs between speed ofdelivery and cost of delivery. Although three methods of payment 7906are shown, between which the customer may select the preferred billingmethod, the list of billing and payment methods are not meant to belimiting. However, requiring a customer to pay for a product such as petfood is a well-recognized process in the industry. Further, if theconsumer prefers to keep the payment method on file, they may elect tostore it upon the server in the payment database 7907, thebilling/payment method thereby being applied to a single order, or to beestablished as a default payment method to be used by the producer foreach future delivery 7909 as the consumer-selected shipping frequency.Upon completion of the order, and future recurring orders, the producerships the order 7908 to the consumer following the consumer's preferredshipping method.

FIG. 80 is an exemplary diagram showing an interactive system for petfood subscription purchases and automated correction of the amount offood shipped during each subscription delivery interval. In the diagram,a food monitoring device 8000 measures the actual amount of foodcontained in a pet feeding bowl. The measurement may be conducted bysensors that measure weight, or that measure volume. Subtracting theweight or volume of food at the end of the pet's meal from the totalfood weight or value at the beginning of the pet's meal therebydetermined the actual amount of food consumed by the pet during thatparticular meal. If the pet 8001 normally fed one meal per day, then theamount of food consumed would define the daily food consumption.

Not shown, certain physiological and biological conditions of the pethaving been previously entered into a pet database 8002 for each petwithin the network, establish baseline estimations of the pet's dailyfood energy requirements. For instance, if the pet is a female dog thathas just become pregnant, the energy requirements, typically expressedin kilocalories, or more commonly, “kcal”, increase three to four timesthe energy requirement when she is not pregnant.

Now then, the caloric content of one or more types of food having beenpreviously entered into the database 8002, the one or more types of foodbeing the food that a consumer 8004 will feed to the pet 8001, it can beappreciated that a computer can thereby calculate the weight of a foodof a particular kcal/kg of food weight to determine the estimated amountof food that should be given daily to the animal. The food monitoringappliance 8000 therefore may be used as a means to determine when theappropriate amount of food has been entered into the food bowl,according to the computer recommendations for the particular food fed tothe animal, or alternatively may be use to compute the actualconsumption by determining the different between the before eatingweight and after eating weight, then convert the weight back into theactual kcal consumed during the meal.

It should be noted that known changes in caloric requirements areattached to each pet's profile. For instance, a four month old puppywill require four times the kcal per pound of body weight at it will asan adult, Therefore, a declining kcal per body weight is programmed intothe pet's profile for the remaining eight months until the puppy reachedadulthood. It would be required that the pet's owner periodically update8009 the dog's weight so that the computed kcal can be updated based onbody weight.

As can be immediately recognized, the process just described requiresthe owner to only update certain parameters in order to discover theactual daily kcal requirements to maintain the pet's optimum health, andremoves all subjective determination of how much food to feed the pet ona daily basis.

Now then, first using a predicted kcal requirement for the pet based oncurrent physiological and biological conditions of the pet, andcorrespondingly, the generally accepted guidelines of kcal requirementsbased on those conditions, an estimated daily meal portion can bedetermined, the estimated meal size being recorded in the pet's profileupon a database 8002. Thereafter, and at the conclusion of each day, theactual daily consumption is recorded in the pet's profile justdescribed, and averaged with a predetermined number of immediatelypreceding days to formulate the average daily kcal consumption. The dataanalysis just described therefore creates a known average daily kcalconsumption by the pet 8006. A producer 8005 upon the network, and morespecifically a producer persistently accessing the pet's record in thedatabase 8002 can therefore project the production volume to satisfy thepet's estimated real time food requirement 8007 in the near future, andperiodically produce, sell and ship that projected food volume to theconsumer.

In other words, if a producer 8005, having completed the process justdescribed, determines that a particular pet registered upon the networkconsumes an average or 2,100 kcal per day, and that the pet eats foodrated at 4,200 kcal/kg, the pet would consume ½ kg of the specified foodper day. Therefore, if the consumer requested weekly delivery of thefood, the producer can determine that it would have to produce precisely½ kg×7 days, or 3.5 kg. of the specified food to satisfy actualconsumption requirements of the pet for the upcoming week.

By combining all food requirements of all network registered pets eatingthe same food product, the producer can, for the first time, determinewith precision the total production volume requirements for the nextseven days, most importantly knowing that it will not over-produce orunder-produce.

The process just described defines a novel Just in Time “JIT”manufacturing, sales and logistics process 8008 provided for my thenovel system and method of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention, the process thereby creating higher margin sales, reductionin overproduction and warehousing costs, and establishing a productionbaseline going forward, the baseline being perpetually updated based onactual and projected daily food consumption of pets registered upon thenetwork. The process cycle ends when the correct food amount isultimately shipped to the consumer 8004.

As a responsible means of tracking each production batch, the lotnumbers of each production run are recorded 8003 in the database andassociated with each pet animal for which the production batch wasmanufactured. Thereafter, in the event that the producer later discoversany quality problems with the food, it will instantly know whichconsumers received the food of concern. The producer may then instantlycontact each of the consumers to recommend an appropriate course ofaction to solve any newly discovered food problems.

The ordered combination of processes just described, especially whenapplied to food consumption as measured by a food monitoring device,eliminated the importance of a traditional wholesaler 8010 or retailer8011 from the sales, distribution and logistics chain.

FIG. 81 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a flow chart for a systemof determining multiple food products for a subscription for recurringpet food purchasing and delivery in a just in time manufacturing andlogistics system. More specifically, a pet food measuring bowl system8101 in wireless communication with a pet owner's wireless device suchas a smartphone 8102 provides for a pet's daily food consumption data tobe transmitted to the pet's unique pet record in a database 8100 upon anetwork. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that pet dogs and catstypically eat a variety of foods and treats during an average day.Therefore, a preferred method of estimating pet food production is togive consideration to the production requirements for each and everydifferent type of food consumed by each pet animal during the day.

In the drawing, a pet food manufacturer 8116 is in electroniccommunication with the registered pet database 8100, the database alsobeing in wireless communication with each pet bowl registered on thenetwork. The system just described provides, for the first time, adirect pet food consumption data link between pet feeding device andfood producer.

It is preferred that a pet owner enter into a purchasing and deliverysystem of at least one embodiment of the present invention a pet foodorder, the order comprising a variety of foods that may include a mainmeal food that is delivered routinely to a pet a meal time, and pet foodtreats that are given to the pet at various times during a typical day.

The pet owner having entered into the database 8100 the preferred foodand treat products, and further, the pet's predicted daily foodconsumption as previously described, provide to the manufacturer thenecessary data to then facilitate corporate food production scheduling.

A manufacturer may desire various production schedule options, and usingthe pet consumption food data 8103 computes the average foodrequirements for “Pet A” for various intervals, such as each day, week,month, or other interval. Production interval planning allows theproducer to interleave production of multiple products using the sameproduction equipment, understanding that if the most economic productionquantities satisfy two weeks of estimated production, then two weeks ofthe selected food for Pet A will be produced before changing machineryover to a different food. A total production order quantity of the foodfor Pet A is determined by consolidating all predicted quantities of thesame food for all pets during the same period.

Further, it would be well understood that each pet eating the producedfood will invariably eat different amounts of that food during any givenday. Therefore, each order of food will correspond to different energydensities, the energy densities thus defining the food amounts for eachpet 8105. By computing the total consumption requirements in kcal/dayfor each pet on the network, and further determining the food amountcorresponding to each different food type, the pet owner may select anyof the offered foods 8107 from the list of foods produced by themanufacturer.

After selecting the food type, the owner then selects the frequency ofdelivery and shipping option 8109. The options just described may beselected from a list of options as provided by the manufacturer, or maybe entered by the consumer using open data fields, thereby providing afully customized option for the consumer. These preferences, along withother food preferences described above are recorded in the pet's uniqueprofile 8111 on the database. Understanding that the pet owner desiresthe purchase of treats that can be fed to the pet at various timesduring the day, the owner enters the average number of times per daythat treats are delivered to the pet 8104. Understanding that treatscontain calories, and food contains calories, it is important toconsider the total estimated caloric needs for each pet, and adjust theaverage daily food to account for the additional treats. A computerupdates the previously entered food order by subtracting the estimatedtotal caloric intake provided by the treats from the total foodcalories. The consumer may have the option of selecting the treat sizefrom a list of available treats 8106 offered by the manufacturer. Arecurring treats order may be entered by the owner under one or more ofthe manufacturers' suggested subscription option 8108. Finally, theowner selects the treat, quantity, purchase frequency and other options8110, all of which constitute an oner preference for “Pet A”, andrecorded in the unique profile for “Pet A” 8112.

Thereafter, the manufacturer consolidates all food and treat preferencesfor “Pet A” into a master scheduler program, cumulating other food andtreat orders from other pet owners for other pets, thereby creating aprecise production requirement. The production run of food and treats isconsidered a JIT production run 8114 comprising production orders beingdelivered to various departments responsible for food production, foodrecipe formulation, packaging, production lot quality control and testlot testing results, and logistics. Upon completion of the productionrun, the logistics department immediately distributes the pre-orderedfood to the consumer using well-known delivery means 8115. Foodproduction lot information is then directed back to the database 8100where the food lot data is associated with each animal to which the foodwas or will be shipped.

Any updates to each pet profile, either by computed and estimated futurephysiological or biological changes, any modifications made to the petprofile or food preferences by the consumer 8102, or changes in dailyconsumption as determined by actual consumption measurement bywirelessly connected food measuring devices 8101 are automaticallyupdated in the database 8100 which automatically communicates updatesthroughout the manufacturers' JIT system.

FIG. 82 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a decentralized productionsystem. Regional differences in production capacity, manufacturingexpertise or materials availability, seasonal weather conditions, orlogistics costs militate for disciplined management decisions relatingto where, when and how production should occur in order to maximizeprofits, minimize costs, and most rapidly process food from productionto consumption.

In the drawing, a centralized database 8200 contains all pet foodpreferences of all pets registered on a network, the food manufacturerbeing in persistent communication with the database. A central orderdatabase 8201 is used to consolidate all like orders within a productionperiod based on new plus recurring food sales and deliverysubscriptions. Well known to those skilled in the art, a softwareapplication 8202 to analyze all logistical options is employed as ameans to determine a most economical production process.

As one illustrative example not meant to be limiting, the presentinvention may allow a radical departure from the traditional “produce,bag, palletize, warehouse, and distribute model by decentralizing someof the production processes to other geographic locations. For instance,if paper bags and dry food packaging labor is less expensive in Floridathan at the company's Midwest manufacturing plant, it may be preferredto bulk ship 8203 dry food in truck or rail tankers directly to apackaging and shipping facility where precisely the correct number ofbags are produced to fulfill the pre-orders from the designated southeastern region. Under a JIT system the food may be received in Florida8204 on one given day, then packaged, labeled, and shipped to theconsumers 8205 within the region within 24 hours—completely eliminatingall costs related to warehousing, palletizing, over-packing, andrehandling finished goods after pallet break-downs.

As can be readily seen in the drawing representative of the UnitedStates, the plurality of courier vehicles and regionally locatedconsumers may provide for increased corporate earnings, and fresher fooddelivery to consumers if the same decentralization of certain productionprocesses as just described are repeated in other geographic regionsthroughout the country. This model of JIT production to consumer delivermay be applied as well on a global scale.

FIG. 83 is an exemplary diagram illustrating database of registeredpets, and the analysis of data corresponding to each pet owner. Morespecifically, for the first time, at least one embodiment of the presentinvention comprising a plurality of customers 8302, each of which feedstheir pet using food metering devices earlier described but not shown incommunication with a database 8301, the data from which is anytimeavailable to a food manufacturer, provides for an extremely high value,previously unavailable view of the marketplace for competitiveintelligence, food production planning, and new foods market testing, aswell as providing for an analytical look at all aspects of theircustomers, customers' pets, and pet food.

A manufacturer may, in many instances, desire information related to thepet animals registered on a network, and creates a specific query basedon prescribed rules 8300. The rules are applied to the data in adatabase 8301 where a data analysis 8303 is performed. For instance, andmerely as one example of important market data that can be extractedfrom the closed food subscription system, but which can be appliedacross a geographically and demographically similar market, amanufacturer desires an analysis 8305 of consumers who do not have petmembers registered on the network. However, knowing generally thepopulation of a region by means of third party data sources, for examplethe US Census Bureau, a manufacturer planning food production for thatregion can look to the data from the control group up the network.Again, merely by example, if the control group shows a preference of 50percent beef flavor food, 30 percent chicken flavored food, 10 percentlamb flavored food, and 10 percent turkey flavored food, themanufacturer can assume that a similar food preference would occur forother pets and owners within that region, and plan productionaccordingly.

Beyond this just described illustrative example, a variety of other dataanalyses 8306 are instantly possible as a result of the manufacturerconnection directly to pet food consumption measurement. By analyzingvarious and different data elements, the manufacturers have availabledata to support production decisions 8307 previously unavailable throughthe traditional pet food production, sales and distribution channels.

FIG. 84 is an exemplary diagram showing a system and method of trackingfood production lots from packaging through pet consumption. Aspreviously mentioned, recalls of tainted pet food imparts a heavy coston manufacturers that have to track down the location of all of therecalled food lot numbers throughout the traditional distributionchannel. In all likelihood, the recalled food would have beenmanufactured over a specified period of time, after which the foodentered wholesaler distribution, and secondarily retail distribution,and ultimately consumer purchases. Food from the tainted lot will bescattered throughout warehouses, on retail shelves, and in someconsumers' homes. The manufacturer will have absolutely no way oftracking how much tainted food was actually consumed by pet animals.

As a consequence, manufacturers have absolutely no reliable method tosubstantially reduce its exposure to economic damages, and inbroadcasting a recall effort throughout the distribution channel, createa secondary economic catastrophe as a result of widespread negativepublic relations. At least one embodiment of the present inventionprovides the means to substantially reduce the enormous economic tollthat food recalls take on manufacturers.

In the drawing, a food manufacturer 8400 is shown manufacturing a batchof food 8403 to which a specific lot and tracking number is assigned.Since this lot was manufactured based upon pre-orders placed through thesystem, the consumers, and more specifically the consumers' pets 8404are already known to the manufacturer.

In the ordered combination of processes, the individual packages ofpreordered food from the just described production lot are shippeddirectly to the consumer, bypassing all of the storage and handlingsteps required in traditional food distribution channels. Historicallyreliable transit times 705 are well known to courier or postal servicescontracted to deliver the food directly from source to user.

Most importantly, the manufacturer knows the amount of food delivered toeach customer, and per the reorder frequency entered by the consumer,the manufacturer knows precisely how many feeding days that food willlast before exhaustion.

Therefore, the manufacturer knows with close approximation when the enduser consumer 8402 will receive the food delivery 8406, and with astatistically reliable precision how much food will be consumed each dayafter receipt by the consumer. With the approximate date known 8407 bywhich all food from the specified lot is removed completely from thedistribution channel, manufacturers can then control and weigh allpublic relations risks, animal health risks, and most importantly, canrecall the food nearly instantly by contacting each consumer directlythroughout the total expected life of the just produced lot of food8408, thereby mitigating or preventing risk of injury or death to theconsuming pets.

FIG. 85 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a pet-monitoring networkcloud 8500 based network comprising a plurality of databases, aprocessor 8504, and a human readable output means such as a digitaldisplay 8505.

Further, the network comprises a plurality of pet “feeding stations” asused herein, meaning a new and novel in-home feeding appliance connectedto a computer network, the feeding station comprising at least a foodweighing food bowl 8506 and a timing means 8507 providing for the timingthe duration that a pet eats the pet food. Together, the food bowl 8506and timer 8507 output for recording upon the network at least theduration of time corresponding to the time at which a full food bowl ispresented for eating, and the time at which the food bowl is emptied, orin the alternative, the point tin time that the pet stops eating fromthe bowl. In the later condition, the feeding station will record uponthe network the duration of the eating cycle, and the weight of any foodremaining in the food bowl.

It is well known that while pet dogs are typically “meal fed”, that is,they typically consume their food upon presentation at their meal time,pet cats graze on their food throughout the day, rather than consumingthe daily food portion in a single sitting. Therefore, the feedingstation provides for the recording of all time throughout a defined timeperiod, such as 24 hours, as well as any corresponding changes in foodweight that would correlate to the consumption amount, and duration ofconsumption of food consumer throughout the defined recorded timeperiod.

The databases include at least a database of a plurality of individualpets 8501 and data relating at least to pet eating histories, and adatabase of a list of pet foods 8502 consumed by the pets. One or moreadditional databases 8503 may contain a list of pet owners associatedwith the pets on the pet database 8501.

Further, the network provides for the identification of individual pets,for instance, a feeding station associated with a representative poodle8508, a representative dachshund 8509 and a representative NorwegianElkhound 8510. There is no practical limitation to the number ofdifferent breeds or species of pet animals that may be associated with acorrespondingly unlimited number of feeding station devices incommunication with a network.

Optionally, the network may contain a weather API service, or a weatherdatabase 103, the service or database providing for real-time weatherconditions associated with the geographical location of each food bowland timer device. For instance, on any given day, a poodle 8508 may beconsuming its meal in a warm and sunny 8511 location, the dachshundconsuming its meal in a cold and snowy 8512 location, and the elkhound8510 consuming its meal in a humid and rainy 8513 location.

It is well known by those skilled in the veterinary arts that pets'appetites change with changes in environmental conditions. Therefore, atleast one embodiment of the present invention, recognizing the need toincorporate weather variables into any statistical analysis of pet foodpalatability, provides for a new and novel method of correlating petfood consumption with the weather conditions at the time of consumptionfor each pet and bowl-timer device on the network.

In practice, the system and method of at least one embodiment of thepresent invention comprises a database with a list of pets 8501, thedata entered into the database by each pet owner upon registering eachpet upon the network, the stored data for each pet consisting of one ormore data fields including, but not limited to breed, sex, neuterstatus, age, physiological condition such as Body Condition Score(“BCS”), activity level, whether the pet lives in a multi-pet household,geographic location of the pet and feeding station, and whether the petis pregnant or nursing or has been diagnosed with food allergies orchronic medical conditions.

It should be noted that all of these data fields represent factors thatinfluence pet food palatability in the real world, nearly all of whichare categorically ignored by manufacturers relying on traditionalpalatability tests previously described.

The pet owner first selects the food by brand and product name from anavailable food database 8502, the food database containing ingredientand nutritional information for each food.

It is important to note that palatability tests in general test howexcited a pet is about the taste and aroma of the food based on the rateor frequency of consumption, but does not account for the proper orrecommended daily caloric intake of the food. Therefore, it is importantto correlate the volume of food consumed during any test by any animalwith the recommended caloric value of the food, further recognizing thatthe weight of one food compared to a substantially equivalent weight ofa second food may represent a two-fold difference in caloric content.

Upon setup of the feeding station, the pet owner enters into the bowlthe appropriate weight of food based on the recommended caloric content,and not based merely on food volume. The food is then placed on thefeeding station at which time, the feeding station commences recordingchanges in weight over time throughout the predefined time period.

At the end of the time period, a processor 8504 correlates theconsumption data, consisting of caloric intake, food brand, andassociated time, and records the processes information as an appendeddata record in the pet's individual pet profile, specifically, appendingfood and moisture consumption.

At any time, a pet food manufacturer or pet owner not shown may submitinstructions to the processor 8504 to retrieve any information in anyconfiguration from the database, the information thereby presented in ahuman readable output such as a printable document, or a digitalpresentation on a display 8505.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the broad base of datamade available by means of novel feeding stations in communication witha network reflects, for the first time, provide for tracking real worldconditions of a large population of highly diverse pets and theirindividually unique living, environmental, and physiological conditions,and that comparatively, the limited and narrow data collected fromtraditional palatability testing methods cannot even presume to accountfor these variables as a means of more reasonable, reliable and accuratefeedback reflecting real world food palatability.

FIG. 86 is an exemplary diagram illustrating food consumption history ofone representative pet within a population of pets on a pet-monitoringnetwork.

As previously discussed, the standardized “one-bowl” test is conductedover a multi-day period, and usually to compare food consumption databetween two foods for each animal within a relative small cohort ofanimals. The one-bowl test is not a perpetual test, and cannot compareany animal's preference between a large number of foods fed to theanimal over an extended period of time.

At least one embodiment of the present invention provides for themanufacturer's discovery of food preferences between any large number offoods consumed by one or many animals on the pet monitoring network, andallows the tracking of consumption preferences, and therefore presumedrelative food palatability over an extended period of time.

In the drawing, a representative 42-month record between April, 2012 andOctober, 2015 is shown.

More specifically, a first food A is selected by a pet owner from adatabase 8600 containing a list of pet food products. The food isconsistently presented to the pet on a feeding station 8603. Each day,the time and consumption data previously described is recorded on thepet's individual record upon the database.

It is well known that many pet food products are frequently recalled, goout of production, or are simply out of local stock when the pet ownerneeds to purchase more food. In such cases, it is common for the ownerto change foods.

In the drawing, the food A was changed to food B on our about May of2012. As previously described, the new food is presented to the pet onthe feeding station, and the corresponding consumption and time arerecorded on the pet's individual record on the database 8600.

Continuing the perpetual recording, the drawing shows a new food C beingintroduced to the pet in July 2012, that food being replaced by food Din January, 2014, and finally a new food E being introduced to the petin October, 2015, together providing a more than 3-year history ofrelative food palatability.

As one will immediately appreciate, manufacturers typically cannot knowwhat foods introduced years ago should be palatability tested againstnewly introduced foods. At least one embodiment of the present inventiontherefore is the first palatability test that provides for large scaledata collection and analysis over the long term of foods consumedthroughout a pet's life, and more importantly, data collected under inreal world, in-home conditions that are otherwise not even available tofood manufacturers.

Now therefore, at any time, a pet owner or manufacturer can submitinstructions to a processor 8504 with a request to retrieve acomparative analysis 8601 of palatability of the referenced foods asconsumed by an individual pet 8602.

However, not shown, at least one embodiment of the present inventionprovides for a manufacturer to submit a request upon the processor toretrieve any combination of multiple animals' history, consumption ofspecifically defined foods by the respective consuming pets, or datarelated to any specific time period.

In fact, at least one embodiment of the present invention, comprising atleast two relational databases, provides for a manufacturer to retrieveand analyze any or all available data fields stored upon the databases.

FIG. 87 is an exemplary diagram illustrating multiple pets and multiplefood types of differing moisture content on a pet-monitoring network.

Presently, no currently available palatability assessment protocol,system or method correlates moisture content in different foods, whileat the same time recording the volume of water consumed by the petseating the foods of various moisture content.

Therefore, at least one embodiment of the present invention provides fora pet feeding station comprising a food weighing bowl, a water weighingbowl, and a timing device, together which records the consumption offood and water, and the corresponding time and duration of consumptionof food and water throughout the feeding period.

In the drawing, a first feeding station 8701 is used to feed and water afirst pet dog 8700. As a means of illustrating multiple feeding stationsupon a network, each feeding station provides for the recording of foodand water consumption data from pets feeding from their respectivefeeding stations, a second feeding station 8703 is shown as being usedby a second pet dog 8702. The data from each pet feeding station iscommunicated to the cloud 8500 wherein the data is appended to eachpet's personal pet profile on the pet database 8600. A continuum of datais appended to each pet's personal consumption profile and cataloged ona periodic basis, for instance, each day.

As an optional component to the pet monitoring network, a pet collar8705 may be attached to any pet, the collar relying on well-known meansof communicating with a network by Bluetooth or WIFI transceivers. Asone important means of identifying which animal within a multi-pethousehold is eating or drinking, and as a means of associating the foodand water consumption data to individual pets, the pet monitoring systemtherefore provides for the additional pet identifying collar incommunication with the network.

At any time as preferred by a person interested in reviewing consumptiondata, the person may submit a query to the database through a processor8504, the processor thereafter using well-known means to compile andpresent the data in a human readable format. As one example, the datafrom pet X and pet Y is desired for comparison. As can be seen, adisplay 8704 illustrates details regarding food and water consumptionfor the specified pets. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatpalatability analysis comparing food A and food B, each of whichcontains different moisture content, would be incomplete without furtherrecognizing the water content of the food consumed, along with thecorresponding water consumed separately.

As one representative example of the need to qualify palatability ofdissimilar foods as just described, without the water data beingconsidered in the calculus, in one instance the water contained in thehigher moisture food A may deliver a feeling of “fullness” to the pet,thereby causing the pet to slow down it's eating. In this instance, theincrease in duration of consumption time for food A may be a falsenegative as to the palatability of that food compared to food B.

Therefore, as can be readily understood, at least one embodiment of thepresent invention provides for the creation, recording and analysis offood moisture content, food volume, water volume, and the consumption offood and water over a specified time as one new and novel means toanalyze palatability of foods of different moisture content.

FIG. 88 is an exemplary diagram illustrating multiple pets and multiplefood types on a pet-monitoring network.

It is well known that significant differences exist between the eatinghabits and food preferences of cats versus dogs. It is further wellknown that additional differences exist between different dog breed anddifferent cat breeds. For instance, differences between different dogsmay include different nutritional needs based on genetic makeup,activity levels, different predilection to high calorie or fatconsumption, and different chewing techniques—all of which reach back tothe genetic makeup of each dog or cat breed.

Therefore, it is sometimes preferred to test the food palatabilitypreferences of one or many individual breeds as a means to develop andmarket breed-specific food choices to customers.

In the drawing, a database 8501 on the network 8500 contains the uniqueidentification of a plurality of pets being monitored on the network, asub-set of all pets on the network may include poodles, and within thissubset, poodles may be further filtered by age. As one example, threepoodles 8800, 8801, 8802 are the result of the sub-set filtering justdescribed, all of the poodles being between two and four years old. Itshould be noted that the three poodles are merely representative of alarge population of similar pets on the database. In practice, thedatabase 8501 may contain hundreds to 10s of thousands of poodles thatare between two and four years old, the larger population being requiredin order to develop statistically reliable data and inferences from thatdata through mathematical analysis.

Further, as a means of illustrating different foods being fed to eachthe poodles, the food differs in each of the respective feeding stations8804, 8805, 8806, each good being cataloged in a list of pet foodsstored on a database 8502, the database containing nutritional,ingredient and moisture content information for each of the foods.

A person desiring to identify the pet foods most palatable to thefiltered sub-set of poodles as just described may submit a query uponthe processor 8504, and retrieve a list of foods and the correspondingconsumption times of those foods. Now then, a highly simplified resultof a regression analysis performed on a large data set is shown on thedisplay 8803, specifically identifying the respective consumption timesof food A which was consumed by ⅔ of the population, and food B that wasconsumed by ⅓ of the population, with results indicating that food A ismore palatable, and therefore consumed more quickly, by 2-4 year oldpoodles.

As those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate, the variouscombinations of pet and food characteristics that may be retrieved froma plurality of databases and analyzed on demand is enormous, and notavailable with any standard palatability testing system, method orprotocol currently available to the pet food industry. Illustratingevery possible combination of pet and food characteristics that may beretrieved and analyzed would be unduly cumbersome and burdensome, andtherefore are not separately illustrated, but to do so would moreprofoundly illustrate the significant commercially important advantagesof the pet monitoring and food palatability system of at least oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 89 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a block diagram of apet-monitoring network. The pet monitoring network comprises at leastthree components: an Internet connected computer application 8900, apet-monitoring network 8901, and an in-home wirelessly connectedInternet appliance, namely a pet feeding station 8902 comprising oneweighing food bowl and optionally one weighing water bowl, data storage,a timer, and a processor. The Internet connected computer application8900 is preferably a mobile application (APP) installed on a pet owner'ssmartphone, such APP providing for Bluetooth communication to the petfeeding device 8902, and to the owner's individual pet profile stored onthe database on the pet-monitoring network 8901 as previously described.

It should be noted that the pet feeding device 8902 is the food andwater consumption data collection device. The pet feeding deviceperiodically transmits connected data to the owner's smartphone mobileapp 8900, the APP thereby providing for onward transmission of the datato the pet-monitoring network.

The pet owner enters a new pet upon the pet monitoring system by openinga setup form 8903 on the mobile APP, or alternatively through anequivalent web app, entering specific data 8904 related to each pet inthe owner's household, the data including pet characteristics such asspecies, breed, sex, age, neuter status, activity level, weight, bodycondition score (BCS), allergies, pregnancy or weaning status, homeaddress as the means to identify the geographic location, the brand andproduct name of the feed typically fed to the pet, the brand and productname of the treats typically fed to the pet, and known chronic medicalproblems such as diabetes or arthritis for example.

The data just entered is loaded onto a database of the pet-monitoringnetwork where at least one processor computes the recommended daily foodand water portions.

The food portion is computed based on the food energy requirements ofthe pet 8905, the energy consumption expressed in kilocalories, or kcal,and the daily water consumption 8906 is computed on a plurality of petcharacteristics. The processor further retrieves the kcal content in thepet's food and treats as necessary to compute the equivalent weight ofthe daily food portion 8907, and further analyzes the moisture contentcontained in the daily portion of the preferred food as a means ofcomputing the clear water volume 8908 that should be consumed separatelyfrom and in addition to the food.

The data just described is communicated from the pet monitoring networkback to the owner's mobile APP 8909, specifically instructing on thefood and water portions for the given pet.

Responding to the instructions 8909, the owner prepares the prescribedfood and water and feeds the pet 8910, the feeding action initiating thetimer function 8911 so that the rate of food consumption may bedetermined, the data being stored locally 8912. Upon the owner's mobileAPP being in communication range with the Bluetooth feeding device, thedata is transmitted to the mobile APP 8913, the APP thereaftercommunicating the data to the pet's data record 8914 on the petmonitoring network. Each time additional data appends the pet's record,processors perform various analyses on the daily data, as well asperforming analyses on the pet's growing base of historical food andwater consumption data.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, computers may bepreprogrammed to analyze any combination of data fields, and the resultsof any analysis or reports may be stored in the database for instantretrieval.

At least one embodiment of the present invention further provides formanufacturers to query the data with specific parameters or filters, thequeries producing on-demand retrieval of data matching themanufacturer's parameters, and further performing the appropriateanalyses upon the data in order to generate a report responsive to thequery.

The analyses and reports responsive to preprogrammed or on-demandqueries just described, and similarly, reports intended for the petowner, may be automatically pushed or retrieved from the pet-monitoringnetwork 8915, the manufacturer's reports being preferably communicatedthrough the Internet to the manufacturer's computer 8916, and theowner's report preferably being communicated to owner's mobile APP 8917.

The reports, are therefore deemed to have satisfied the objective of atleast one embodiment of the present invention, with new analyses andreports available as needed by those with access to the pet-monitoringnetwork.

In some cases, a report sent to the owner, may contain an alertnotifying the owner of recommended changes that should be made to thepet's feeding regimen, or may contain recommendations regarding adifferent food that may be more palatable for the owner's pet. In suchinstances, the owner may modify the pet's data by editing the setupdetails 8918 by re-entering the setup or pet record editing screen notshown, but which may be in integral function of the APP 8904.

FIG. 90 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a population of pets apet-monitoring network.

It is well known that pet owners are nearly as concerned about the typeand quality of food they feed their pets, as the food they eatthemselves. Therefore, a poodle owner located in New York City, as arepresentative, real-world example, rescues a poodle from a pet shelterin December, and desires to know what food his or her new poodle 9001may be most palatable. The owner's poodle is a 10-year old male that hasbeen neutered.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that appetite, and foodpreferences differ slightly between males and females of the samespecies, with the differences sometimes accentuated when the pets areneutered, females in heat, females that are pregnant or nursing a newlitter. Therefore, specificity as to not only breed, but other petcharacteristics as well are necessary to understand palatability to afiner resolution than if currently available with any palatabilityanalysis tools known to the pet food industry.

Therefore, the pet owner just described enters upon the network his orher pet's profile and location which is considered the Northeast UnitedStates region 9000. The owner's food query is then submitted todatabases 9003 having previously stored locations and characteristics ofa large population of pets 9004 similar to the owner's pet, and adatabase or API that contains regional climate data that is referencedwithin the historical data related to any palatability changes of anypets on the pet monitoring network during the Northeast US snowy winters9005.

Merely as a means to illustrate the scale, scope and granularity of datathat may be used as referencable data for analysis in response to anyquery, a chart 9002 of filtered sub-set of poodles in the NortheastUnited States is shown to contain yet deeper detail with regard to thepoodle population including age, neuter status, and sex, to name just afew unique characteristics. Now then, the owner's pet just described hascharacteristics that substantially correlate with similar poodles 9008,with the most preferred food being a food represented at M, and a secondmost preferred food being represented at D, the actual identity of thesefood products being contained in the database 9003, and displayed inhuman readable form to the owner such that the owner can then purchasethe preferred food product.

FIG. 91 is an exemplary diagram illustrating pet food consumption trendsfor a pet upon a pet-monitoring network. Food palatability for any givenpet frequently changes over time for may different reasons includingdental disease that increases the desire for softer foods overpreviously preferred crunchy foods, the onset of a chronic disease, orother often unknown reasons. It is therefore preferred that the petowner understand changing preferences for foods with differentpalatability attributes.

In the drawing, the historical trends 9100 of each pet are stored on thepet monitoring system previously described. During a one-week period9102, the pet monitoring system recognizes that food consumption timehas substantially increased compared to the historical consumption timefor the same pet eating the same food. The system recognition is basedon previously programmed analytics that automatically analyze aplurality of data metrics for each pet, including acceptable varianceranges of each of the metrics. The pet owner is automatically notifiedthrough the network whenever the variance in any metric exceeds theacceptable range, creating an actionable event for the pet owner.

Now then, recognizing the out-of-variance increase in consumption timeduring the period 9102, the owner is alerted through the network using atext means to their smartphone not shown, indicating that their pet maynow prefer a different food.

The alert 9103 may contain a plurality of data extracted from thedatabases including a reference to the food product 9104 currently fedto the pet, and a current palatability rating based on historicalconsumption data.

The system, understanding characteristics of the owner's pet, mayinclude in an alert purchase recommendations for a new food based onpalatability preferences of all dogs located in his region 9105, forpoodles in his region 9106, and any medical alert information 9107 thatmay relate to a substantial change in food consumption, the medicalalert information being retrieved from a medical conditions and symptomsdatabase not shown, but which is in communication with the petmonitoring network.

Upon feeding the pet the new purchased food, the system of at least oneembodiment of the present invention records, analyzes and informs theowner of the consumption time 701 of the new food, that consumption timeapproaching the long-term historical normal for that pet.

FIG. 92 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturingplanning analysis 9200 extracted from food consumption data recordedfrom a pet-monitoring network.

More specifically, food manufacturers often forecast food productionvolumes based on incoming purchase orders, most often not knowing howmuch of each product is actually consumed by pets. However, if a volumeof food does not sell through the distribution channel prior to the“sell by” date, manufacturers may occasionally be required to remove orreplace the product throughout the channel. This process is expensiveand inefficient.

On the other hand, in some cases, manufacturers may desire forecastingproduction based on actual consumption trends by the pets actuallyeating that food.

The system, method and process of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention provides for manufacturers to follow actual consumption trendsin real time, thereby eliminating the inaccuracies in forecasting bymanufacturers that rely on the often inaccurate forecasting bydistributors or retailers of their products.

The drawing shows an illustrative, yet simple forecasting chartextracted from the databases previously discussed, and specificallylists each of the manufacturer's stock keeping units 9202 and thehistorical trends 9201 of the actual end-user consumption of each ofthose food items by pets within the analyzed territory during the first,second and third quarters of the production year.

The processor of the pet monitoring network not shown, responding toqueries submitted by the requestor, forecasts the predicted change inconsumption for each product based on the previous consumption trend. Inthe drawing, one line item is shown with a recommendation to discontinueproduction 9203 based on a substantially declining trend, while anotherline item, a newly introduced product 9204 is suggested at higherproduction levels in order to meet a predicted demand.

FIG. 93 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturercompetitive analysis 9300 extracted from food consumption data recordedfrom a pet-monitoring network. Data analysts have long known that thecloser that the number of data points of a data sampling approach 100%of the population for which the data is being analyzed, the morestatistically reliable the analytic results will be.

As previously discussed, the industry standard A-B two-bowl testing ittypically performed on less than 100 pets. The results of this data arethen extrapolated to a population of perhaps many millions of pets, notaccounting for the many variables which cannot be tested for in a small,controlled test panel.

On the other hand, as shown in the representative example of an analysisof competing pet food companies and brands 9302, a manufacturer mayprefer to identify characteristics contributing to the pet food mostpalatable specifically to senior dogs 9301 as a means to guide R&D fornew food product lines for seniors.

One will appreciate that the total population of dogs on the petmonitoring network is represented as over 11 million, and that thesub-set of senior dogs within that population is over 2.4 million, orapproximately 20% of the total dog population.

If the total population of senior dogs in the United States is, forillustrative example, 10 million, analysts will immediately understandthe advantages of at least one embodiment of the present invention thatprovides for extrapolating data from food preferences of 2.4 millionsenior dogs on the pet monitoring network to a total senior dogpopulation of 10 million, compared to obtaining data from 50 or 100senior dogs in standard A-B tests and extrapolating that data to 10million dogs.

Now then, upon identifying the highest palatability foods for seniordogs as mined from the databases previously discussed, the individualfood products are presented for further analysis by manufacturers' foodscientists, including a presentation of the many palatabilityattributes, food compositions, recipes, additives, nutritionalcomponents including macronutrients and micronutrients, and anindication of the percent of the senior population prefers each of thefoods. These data provide manufacturers with a statistically reliableoutline of the components that are most likely to contribute tocompetitive superior palatability of foods intended for a specificmarket.

The scale and scope of this competitive analysis data is not currentlyavailable in any reasonably retrievable form within the pet foodindustry, and is certainly not available on demand from any source. Atleast one embodiment of the present invention therefore provides for thenearly instant retrieval of highly valuable competitive data related topet foods, the data providing a cost cutting means to pet foodmanufacturers that are challenged with rapid development of morepalatable foods for a target market, in the instance just described, thesenior dog market.

FIG. 94 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturercompetitive analysis report 9400 extracted from breed-specific foodconsumption data recorded from a sub-set of pets on a pet-monitoringnetwork. More specifically, the drawing shows a reverse competitiveanalysis chart that may be developed by a pet food manufacturer'sresearch team to identify the foods of apparent high palatability forpoodles in the Western United States. It is well known thatbreed-specific foods represent a high revenue/high profit opportunityfor pet food companies. Therefore, scanning the market to identify foodsalready considered most palatable to poodles could provide a competitiveadvantage to pet food companies endeavoring to enter the poodle-specificfood market.

By submitting a query upon the pet monitoring network of at least oneembodiment of the present invention, the query polling dry foodpreferences (kibble) of all poodles in the Western United States, thepet food scientists will be immediately presented with the query resultsthat list all foods 9401 fro all manufacturers that are consumed bypoodles in the Western US, the listing preferably presented indescending order with the food ranking highest in palatability first.

After obtaining the reliable list of the most palatable foods preferredby poodles, the scientists may then decompile food attributes such asthe oil coating the kibble 9402 or the many other attributes as a meansof identifying the attributed best correlating to high palatability.

It is not the objective of the system to displace the expertise of foodscientists tasked with formulating new foods, but recognizing that manyfood formulations turn on the subjective expertise of food researchers,it is the object of at least one embodiment of the present invention toprovide the researchers the more reliable data relating to the mostpalatable pet foods being consumed by pets upon the pet monitoringnetwork.

FIG. 95 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a food manufacturercompetitive analysis report based on data extracted from breed-specificfood consumption data recorded from a senior-aged subgroup population ofpets contained on a pet-monitoring network.

To illustrate another dimension of information provided for by at leastone embodiment of the present invention from which valuable businessinformation may be deduces, and more specifically decision-supportinformation not provided by any currently available pet foodpalatability testing system or method, a reverse engineered recipe 9500is shown as an illustrative example of corporate business case materialsthat may be routinely developed by pet food manufacturers to justify thecreation of new products to address specific pet food marketopportunities.

In the example, palatability data having been first collected from 2.4million senior dogs from an illustrative total population of about 11million dogs monitored on the network, is deemed highly reliable basedon the extraordinarily large sampling size as a ration to the total dogpopulation.

From the retrieved information, manufacturers 9502 and correspondinglythe identified pet food SKUs are statistically determined to representthe most palatable foods 9503 for senior dogs based on the consumptionanalysis of all senior dog palatability data extracted from thedatabases as previously described.

As can be readily seen in the illustrative example, key attributes ofpalatability appearing in the top rated examples are kibble size (11-12mm), coating oil (canola), flavor (chicken), and protein source (meat),together which create a baseline understanding of food componentsconcurrently appearing in the top palatability foods.

Armed with the knowledge of the foods considered most palatable bysenior dogs, an engineering analysis 9504 by the manufacturer's newproduct development team can begin instantly by reverse engineering thespecific foods statistically determines to be the most palatable. Theanalysis and tests performed during reverse engineering lie outside thescope of at least one embodiment of the present invention, however, atleast one embodiment of the present invention provides for the crucialstarting point for the engineering process.

As highly beneficial information for planning production volumes of foodfor senior dogs, at least one embodiment of the present invention, forthe first time, provides daily average food consumption volumes 9505 ofsenior dogs on the pet monitoring network, thereby illuminating variousoptions for retail package sizes or periodic production volumes relativeto the general dog populations—highly valuable information that cannotbe reliably generated by any currently available palatability system ormethod.

Although the business case 9506 is developed entirely by themanufacturer's personnel, the data provided for by at least oneembodiment of the present invention is invaluable in supporting baselinecalculations relating to projected food consumption of each senior dog,and the projected percent of dog food production requirement for seniordogs relative to the dog food production targeting the general dogpopulation—a figure that is dynamic since more new dogs are being bornthan are presently dying.

Other information may be inferred by the data available from at leastone embodiment of the present invention, but to list all of the pet foodreverse engineering objectives, or all production or marketing scenarioswould be burdensome. However, illustrating each of them wouldnevertheless support the novelty of real-time, highly reliable andactionable data provided for by at least one embodiment of the presentinvention that is not available from any other food palatability datasource.

FIG. 96 is an exemplary diagram 9600 comparing the palatability testingfeatures and capabilities of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention to the features and capabilities of all palatability testmethods in standardized use in the pet food industry. For efficiency,the details of the various palatability test methods and protocolspracticed by the pet food industry will not be exhaustively detailed,however certain data collection capabilities and test results outcomeswill be highlighted to illustrate the valuable improvements of at leastone embodiment of the present invention.

As was previously discussed, the typical test panel for the variousknown testing methods engage a cohort 9601 of well under 100 dogs orcats, compared to the cohort of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention that is virtually limitless. Each time another pet ownerdeploys the feeding and watering bowl system of at least one embodimentof the present invention, the corresponding pet is added to the totaltest panel, and becomes a test subject for as long as the pet continuesto feed from the feeding station in communication with the petmonitoring system. The advantage of at least one embodiment of thepresent invention over all known palatability test methods therefore isan ever increasing size of the population of available test subjects,and with it, an increasing quality, accuracy and reliability of testdata.

Another advantage of at least one embodiment of the present invention isthat pets used in testing do not have to be trained 9602 in order toconduct the test. As can be readily seen, the reliability andpredictability of existing test protocols require the use of pets thatare selected and conditioned to perform the test. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that palatability testing on trained dogs and catsused as proxies for in-home pets do not reflect the actual palatabilitypreferences experienced in real world conditions wherein in-home petsare not trained to perform tests. At least one embodiment of the presentinvention relies completely on untrained pets, therefore reflecting thereal and actual palatability preferences of in-home pets, the in-factintended consumers of the food.

Another major advantage of the testing methods of at least oneembodiment of the present invention is that the need for a trained testmoderator 9603 is completely eliminated. Training employees to becometest moderators is time consuming and expensive, and carries theadditional disadvantage of not being reasonably scalable to the point ofbeing able to perpetually conduct tests applicable to the population of180 million US dogs and cats, or to be able to conduct test with thespeed or pace at which manufacturers are introducing new foodformulations (about 15 new pet food products introduced dailyworldwide). At least one embodiment of the present invention relies onretrospective big data analysis, and actually thrives on theincreasingly large number of pets and pet food formulations to deliverfaster, more insightful data without the limitation of requiring amoderator to set-up, conduct, and interpret the results of lengthy foodtests.

Yet another advantage of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention if that it can deliver reliable data even in multi-pethouseholds 9604. Multi-pet households account for a highly valuablesegment of the total pet market, projected by most pet researchorganizations as 29 percent. Food manufacturers cannot discount nearly ⅓of the market, yet have no reliable means to test food palatabilitywithin multi-pet households. It is well known that a first pet may havea more voracious appetite than a second pet, or that a first pet merelyhas different food preferences based on relative size, different geneticpredisposition to fat consumption, or any list of other factors.Therefore, at least one embodiment of the present invention, when petsare outfitted with the optional pet identification collar incommunication with the pet monitoring network, provide reliablepalatability data on individual pet preferences even if pets are membersof a multi-pet household.

Still another stark advantage of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention is that testing is perpetual 9605, and does not require thetraditional start-stop sequence of conducting discrete tests with adiscrete test cohort to test preferences between a discrete number ofspecified pet foods. The advantage of at least one embodiment of thepresent invention is that as the pet population changes, for instanceage, rate of neutering, or the relative increase/decrease of certainbreeds relative to other breeds, at least one embodiment of the presentinvention provides for the collection of ever evolving data related toany changes in the pet population, a more accurate perspective on realworld pet food preferences.

Still another advantage of at least one embodiment of the presentinvention is that testing, and retrieval of reliable results can beconducted on demand 9606. All other test protocols practiced by the petindustry require preparation, study, and interpretation of the testresults—a process that requires weeks or months of process for each andevery palatability test conducted. More importantly, the test parametersof testing with at least one embodiment of the present invention may bechanged at-will. For instance, palatability testing of a certain foodrelative to 20 other foods may be conducted on senior female poodles,while the very next day, a completely different test on those same foodscan be conducted on neutered male 2 year old Great Danes. No otherpalatability testing system or method can provide the flexibility, speedor on-demand capabilities provided for by the novel system and method ofat least one embodiment of the present invention.

Another extreme limitation of current test methods overcome by at leastone embodiment of the present invention is the ability to simultaneouslytest a practically unlimited number of foods 9607, a capability outsideof the most imaginary wish list of any food researcher skilled in theart. Because there is no traditional set-up of foods for an A-B test, oreven an extreme testing of an A-B, A-C, A-D, A-E, B-C, B-D, B-E, C-D,C-E multiple iteration 2-bowl test, at least one embodiment of thepresent invention provides for polling of every food fed to every petfeeding from every feeding station in communication with the petmonitoring network, an advantage unmatched by any presently availabletest method or system.

Statisticians have long known that the more data they can collect, theycan provide more detailed and reliable analysis. At least one embodimentof the present invention provides for the collection of more data 9608than any other available food palatability test system or method, thevoluminous data thereby allowing for large-scale analysis of anpreviously unavailable large population of pets and an extreme number oftest variables relating to each pet, the new analytics capabilitiesincluding but not limited to regression analysis, analysis of standarddeviation, and higher confidence in identifying irrelevant outliers.Regression analysis therefore provides for higher confidence probabilitydistribution, improved prediction or outcomes, and more reliableforecasting than any presently available palatability testing system ormethod.

Any and all headings are for convenience only and have no limitingeffect. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific termsused herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ofordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Althoughspecific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic anddescriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Allpublications, patent applications, patents, and other referencesmentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to theextent allowed by applicable law and regulations.

The data structures and code described in this detailed description aretypically stored on a computer readable storage medium, which may be anydevice or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computersystem. This includes, but is not limited to, magnetic and opticalstorage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs),DVDs (digital video discs), and computer instruction signals embodied ina transmission medium (with or without a carrier wave upon which thesignals are modulated). For example, the transmission medium may includea telecommunications network, such as the Internet.

At least one embodiment of the animal health monitoring, diagnosis andmaintenance system is described above with reference to block and flowdiagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer programproducts according to example embodiments of the invention. It will beunderstood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, respectively, can be implemented by computer-executableprogram instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams andflow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the orderpresented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, accordingto some embodiments of the invention. These computer-executable programinstructions may be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, aspecial-purpose computer, a processor, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that theinstructions that execute on the computer, processor, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus create means for implementing oneor more functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. Thesecomputer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readablememory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructionsstored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means that implement one or more functionsspecified in the flow diagram block or blocks. As an example,embodiments of the invention may provide for a computer program product,comprising a computer usable medium having a computer-readable programcode or program instructions embodied therein, said computer-readableprogram code adapted to be executed to implement one or more functionsspecified in the flow diagram block or blocks. The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements orsteps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus toproduce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions thatexecute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide elementsor steps for implementing the functions specified in the flow diagramblock or blocks. Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowdiagrams support combinations of means for performing the specifiedfunctions, combinations of elements or steps for performing thespecified functions, and program instruction means for performing thespecified functions. It will also be understood that each block of theblock diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theblock diagrams and flow diagrams, can be implemented by special-purpose,hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions,elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it istherefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive. Many modifications andother embodiments of the animal health monitoring, diagnosis andmaintenance system will come to mind to one skilled in the art to whichthis invention pertains and having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to belimited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications andother embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of theappended claims. Although methods and materials similar to or equivalentto those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of theanimal health monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance system, suitablemethods and materials are described above. Thus, the animal healthmonitoring, diagnosis and maintenance system is not intended to belimited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pet food material bowl system, comprising: afood bowl adapted to receive a food material for consumption by a pet;and a scale configured to measure an actual food weight in real time ofthe food material in the food bowl; wherein the scale is configured toreceive and store a desired food weight of the food material in the foodbowl; wherein the scale is configured to compare in real time the actualfood weight with the desired food weight; wherein the scale or a devicein communication with the scale is configured to determine in real timeif (a) the actual food weight is greater than the desired food weight,(b) the actual food weight is less than the desired food weight or (c)the actual food weight equals the desired food weight; wherein the scaleor the device is configured to initiate an alert based on comparison ofthe actual food weight with the desired food weight; wherein the desiredfood weight is adjusted based on a daily energy expenditure of ananimal; wherein the daily energy expenditure of the animal is calculatedby a sensor module worn by the animal; wherein the device transmits anadjusted desired food weight to the scale.
 2. The pet food material bowlsystem of claim 1, wherein the alert is comprised of an audible alert.3. The pet food material bowl system of claim 1, wherein the alert iscomprised of a visual alert.
 4. The pet food material bowl system ofclaim 1, wherein the alert is comprised of an audible alert and a visualalert.
 5. The pet food material bowl system of claim 1, wherein the foodbowl provides the alert.
 6. The pet food material bowl system of claim1, wherein the alert is comprised of an alert message delivered to acomputer or smartphone.
 7. The pet food material bowl system of claim 1,wherein the scale is adapted to be in communication with a computernetwork to receive the desired food weight.
 8. The pet food materialbowl system of claim 1, wherein the scale is integrated with the foodbowl.
 9. The pet food material bowl system of claim 1, wherein the scaleis in physical communication with the device.
 10. The pet food materialbowl system of claim 1, wherein the desired food weight is adjustedbased on weather conditions.
 11. The pet food material bowl system ofclaim 1, wherein the device stores an animal profile for an animal and afood material profile for the food material, wherein the desired foodweight is adjusted based on the animal profile for the animal and thefood material profile for the food material.
 12. The pet food materialbowl system of claim 1, wherein the device is a smartphone or acomputer.
 13. A pet food material bowl system, comprising: a food bowladapted to receive a food material for consumption by a pet, wherein thefood material is comprised of a dry food material or a wet foodmaterial, wherein the food bowl includes an indicator light to provide avisual indication to a user filling the food bowl with the foodmaterial, wherein the visual indication provides an indication as towhether the user should add additional food material to the food bowl orremove a portion of the food material from the food bowl; and a scaleconfigured to measure an actual food weight in real time of the foodmaterial in the food bowl, wherein the scale is in communication withthe indicator light; wherein the scale is integrated with the food bowl;wherein the scale is configured to receive and store a desired foodweight of the food material in the food bowl; wherein the scale isconfigured to compare in real time the actual food weight with thedesired food weight; wherein the scale is configured to determine inreal time if (a) the actual food weight is greater than the desired foodweight, (b) the actual food weight is less than the desired food weightor (c) the actual food weight equals the desired food weight; whereinthe scale is configured to activate the visual indication provided bythe indicator light based on comparison of the actual food weight withthe desired food weight.
 14. A pet food material bowl system,comprising: a food bowl adapted to receive a food material forconsumption by a pet; and a scale configured to measure an actual foodweight in real time of the food material in the food bowl; wherein thescale is configured to receive and store a desired food weight of thefood material in the food bowl; wherein the scale is configured tocompare in real time the actual food weight with the desired foodweight; wherein the scale or a device in communication with the scale isconfigured to determine in real time if (a) the actual food weight isgreater than the desired food weight, (b) the actual food weight is lessthan the desired food weight or (c) the actual food weight equals thedesired food weight; wherein the scale or the device is configured toinitiate an alert based on comparison of the actual food weight with thedesired food weight; wherein the scale or the device is configured topredict a daily food material requirement for an animal, wherein thescale or the device initiate an alternative alert if abnormal deviationsin the daily food material requirement occur for the animal.
 15. The petfood material bowl system of claim 14, wherein the alert is comprised ofa visual alert.
 16. The pet food material bowl system of claim 14,wherein the alert is comprised of an alert message delivered to acomputer or smartphone.
 17. The pet food material bowl system of claim14, wherein the device stores an animal profile for an animal and a foodmaterial profile for the food material, wherein the desired food weightis adjusted based on the animal profile for the animal and the foodmaterial profile for the food material.
 18. The pet food material bowlsystem of claim 14, wherein the device is a smartphone or a computer.19. A pet food material bowl system, comprising: a food bowl adapted toreceive a food material for consumption by a pet; and a scale configuredto measure an actual food weight in real time of the food material inthe food bowl; wherein the scale is configured to receive and store adesired food weight of the food material in the food bowl; wherein thescale is configured to compare in real time the actual food weight withthe desired food weight; wherein the scale or a device in communicationwith the scale is configured to determine in real time if (a) the actualfood weight is greater than the desired food weight, (b) the actual foodweight is less than the desired food weight or (c) the actual foodweight equals the desired food weight; wherein the scale or the deviceis configured to initiate an alert based on comparison of the actualfood weight with the desired food weight; wherein the scale or thedevice are configured to compute a volume of water within the foodmaterial.
 20. The pet food material bowl system of claim 19, wherein thedevice is a smartphone or a computer.